What (usually) happens if you leave secondary school after 1st year?

My cousin left school after 1st year back in 2010, he was 13. The law states you must complete 3 years of secondary school or turn 16 before you can leave school.

Nothing ever happened to my cousin or his parents. The school just accepted him leaving and that was that. Should the state have gotten involved?

BattleCorp

Yep. The school should have probably notified the Gardai.

Failing that, get the local parish priest to get into bed with the kid. That'd get him up out of bed and off to school right quick. 😁

Seriously though, how did it work out for your cousin leaving school so young?

Usually, you end up addicted to drink or drugs and are dead by age 25.

Notmything

School would/should have notified the ewo, after that who knows. Surprising number of kids drop out of school for various reasons.

Unless he was getting into trouble, being abused, or neglected at home what would you have expected the state to do?

Hes 24/25 now so let him on with his life and not be wondering about what might have been.

Gregor Samsa

My grandad dropped out of school at 13 (well, actually his parents pulled him out, because his older brother who was in university died of meningitis, and at the time there was a folk belief that it was caused by studying too hard). World War I had just broken out, so he went to Liverpool to join the British Army and fight the Kaiser - lying about his age and getting away with it because he was quite tall. His aunt, who lived over there, found out, and told the army that he hadn't reached the military age of 15, so they ended up not letting him in. He came back to Dublin and got an apprenticeship as a carpenter. That worked out well for him, he ended up a foreman on building sites, had a good and pleasant life and he lived to be 96.

This was in 1914, though, not 2010. So entirely irrelevant.

appledrop

As the above poster said the school should have informed EWO that he had left school and it is up to them not the school to follow up on it.

Very surprised EWO were not involved, they are responsible for all 16s attendibg school/ensuring they have a school place especially as he was so young.

It's not common for a 1st year student to leave school. Sometimes students in say 3rd year leave but usually linked in then with Youth reach etc instead.

Legally they could have taken his parents to court and prosecuted them. However that is a last resort, instead they will usually try and offer supports to encourage students to return to school

Do you mind me asking is your cousin doing ok now?

There would be options for him to return to education now if he wanted.

freshpopcorn

I knew people who dropped out at around that age in the mid 2000's.

I suppose essentially the school, authorities, etc were involved but I don't think they achieve much.

appledrop

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118916690#Comment_118916690

It would have been more common 20 years ago, but now we have one of best secondary completion rates in Europe.

There are still cohorts that don't complete though e.g Travellers.

sam t smith

What is your cousin up to these days? Has he gone back to education since? Does he regret leaving school so young?

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058241354/what-usually-happens-if-you-leave-secondary-school-after-1st-year

It always comes back to the parents: if your aunt & uncle were feckless and couldn't give a toss about what your cousin did, then yes there is a place for follow up by the state. But if your aunt & uncle were supportive and your cousin was broadly motivated to learn and do things his way, then quite right to let him at it. There's many ways to progress now in the educations system and life, conventional school and the 'Leaving Cert' is just one option.

And by the way, there is no law that a child must stay in school. The constitution reserves the rights of parents to be the primary educators. When parents put a child in school, they simply derogate some of this role to the school. They can withdraw at any time.

TheMilkyPirate

I left school at 15 in 2005. I hated school and it really just wasn't for me at all. I rarely went and the days I did most teachers just let me do whatever I wanted or sent me for a walk, they had long given up on me.

I don't regret it but I don't regret anything in life tbh, whatever it was you wanted to do it at the time. I've a decent job now I own my own house with plenty of disposable income and I spent my late teens and twenties partying and living it up. How bad.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118916342#Comment_118916342

Through his teens he just stayed in his room and smoked weed.

Around age 19 he went and did a level 5 and then level 6 in Computer studies. Then he did a level 7 in programming and web design. He has a good job in Dublin now, living with a long term girlfriend. He has no regrets about school.

BattleCorp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118917144#Comment_118917144

Glad it worked out for him. It doesn't work out for a lot of early school leavers.

Notmything

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118917144#Comment_118917144

So a positive outcome. Maybe the reason no fuss was made was because it was realised him n school were not compatible.

School isn't for everyone, my brother in law left school at 14, there was murder in his family over it, he hated school, wanted to be a chef.

Started out as a pot walloper, got an apprenticeship with fas and now has his own business.

Everyone is very keen to talk about the ones that work out not so much about the ones for whom it didn't work out, another clue it's not a good idea is those who have left school early are very keen that their children do not leave school early why is this?

One the other hand school isn't for everyone, as long as they had a job it's possible alright.

If it's anything to do with avoidance or lack of motivation they need to stick it out because it's very hard to come back from that as an adult.

Huge difference between someone who knows they want to be a chef and leave school and someone leaving school because of a lack of motivation.

TooTired123

My daughter is 24 now and her whole secondary school academic experience was a disaster from start to finish. It was a Herculean effort from both of us to get her to her leaving cert which she barely passed with about 200 points. She then went to Waterford and wasted 3 years and a lot of money taking drugs and giving herself seriously bad anxiety. She’s come out the other side now living abroad clean in a good job she loves with a lovely boyfriend thank God. But I wouldn’t go through that again for all the tea in China

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118917960#Comment_118917960

Do you think letting her leave school would have been better for her?

TooTired123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118917995#Comment_118917995

If there had been an apprenticeship programme after the junior cert the way there is in the UK, she’d probably have gone that way. She’s proved a natural at office admin, picking up stuff very easily and accounts, and HR like a pro.

It was a nightmare at the time, the “college” years were awful. But maybe she had to go through all that, and me too, to find herself.

Notmything

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118917857#Comment_118917857

Tbh a lot of the parents I work with that had poor educational attainment want their kids to progress in education, but there are always those who don't.

OTOH from experience, forcing kids to stay in school often had bad outcomes and makes a situation worse.

There is the beginning of a recognition that school is not for everyone and some kids who are "failing" in school often do far better in different environments.

None of us know who the yp in the op left school so it's unfair to say it was lack of motivation or avoidance.

Still stihl waters 3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118918147#Comment_118918147

There are numerous apprenticeship programmes for students who leave after the junior certificate

Imo any student at 16 once the junior is done should be encouraged to leave if they feel school isn't for them, there's a massive shortage of tradesmen/woman, drivers, farm labour, mechanics and a lot of hands on trades that won't be rectified easily, if kids who have no interest in school were directed into hands on trades we might not be in a situation like we are now

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118918238#Comment_118918238

I am not saying its avoidance it could be anything I am making the point that leaving school early and getting a job or wanting to become a chef or do an apprenticeship is very different from leaving school for an aimless existence.

getting a job or doing an apprenticeship involves getting up and ready and working 5 days a week and passing exams if its an apprenticeship and that is the crux of the matter really.

Capt'n Midnight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058241354/what-usually-happens-if-you-leave-secondary-school-after-1st-year

Someday the law will catch up with he and he'll have to go back to school for 3 years.

Ubbquittious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118933578#Comment_118933578

Great plot for a fillum some 30 year old fella sitting at his desk in secondary school

spurious

The majority who leave early would be leaving with very poor literacy rates. Typically they have had bad attendance/little support from home in primary and thus have missed out a lot and end up lost in secondary school, with really low self esteem (understandably) which in turn leads them to give up early and easily and not want to engage.

Second level teachers today in many schools are teaching basic numeracy and literacy to first years, while in other schools they are getting on with the secondary curriculum.

There is a lot to be said for having to attain basic standards before leaving primary school.

Once someone is literate and numerate, there are very many paths they can follow to success, whatever age they leave at. School (outside getting the basics) is not for everybody.

Dial Hard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118934923#Comment_118934923

Schitt's Creek already did it, pretty much.

Gusser09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058241354/what-usually-happens-if-you-leave-secondary-school-after-1st-year

Will probably get a nice new house, medical card and 200 quid a week.

frosty123

I know they'll be the inevitable mention of the 'self made millionaire's' who left school early but they are very much the exception, in reality unless you're tough and built like a tank in which construction will be your calling, more than likely you will struggle getting any meaningful employment I'm afraid.

Duckworth_Luas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058241354/what-usually-happens-if-you-leave-secondary-school-after-1st-year

The truant officer will track him down in the end. He always does!