Leaving school early

It’s just a rough patch they are going through. They would benefit by sticking with school.
Something needs to change at school for them. If it changes they will be much happier.
They are sick of school but haven’t got any goals or the maturity to handle leaving.
They are ready to leave and have got a plan for work, training or study.
They are already dropping out, either with truancy, behavioural/drug/alchohol problems and/or poor academic achievement.

What if your child wants to leave school before 16?

: When school is difficult help them focus on what they will gain by staying at school

In some cases students can be granted an “early leaving exemption”. An early leaving exemption means a student can leave school before they turn 16 if they have a suitable job or training situation arranged.
It's best to talk to your child's school careers adviser or year dean if your child has a job or training opportunity they want to pursue and has not yet turned 16.
Bear in mind that roughly 90% of early leaving exemptions are declined by the Ministry of Education. This is because the Government wants to encourage students to stay in school and gain a qualification.

Leaving school isn’t the end of your child’s education

Young school leavers often just need time to mature. When they are ready, they may re-visit their career decisions and further education. This could involve:

going back to school as an adult
committing to tertiary study
starting a trade.

Leaving school without qualifications - case studies
Stages of career development - more about adolescents' developmental stages

Get support from the guidance staff at school

Guidance staff may include the year level dean, the careers adviser or the guidance counsellor. You can contact them over the phone, via email or make an appointment to see them in person.

It’s good to talk to them about what your child is struggling with and get their input. Questions you could ask are:

Could your child change their subjects or classes?
What would they gain from staying in school?
How can the school support your child better in goal setting?
Are there opportunities for work experience your child could get involved in?

Getting the most out of career events at your child's school
How to understand NCEA

Talk with your child about what they are struggling with at school

By talking with your child you can find out if there is something that could change.

What don’t they like about school?
What do they really enjoy about school?
What can be done about the things they don’t enjoy?

Secondary student section - is now the right time leave school?

Work on some goals together

: Having some goals can motivate students to work harder at school

Goal setting can motivate your child to stay at school. There is a strong link between motivation in class and having some goals during and beyond school. Some teachers recommend setting goals with children at Year 9 or 10 if possible.

Some things to ask your child are:

What are their hopes and dreams?
What could they gain from staying in school?
Will leaving school help them reach their goals?
Have they got enough NCEA credits to do what they want to do?

Conversation starters – how to talk to your child about careers
Thinking about leaving school – how do I know what’s right for me?

Set boundaries around school work and their future goals

As a parent of a child under 16, you are legally required to make sure your child attends school each day. Stay positive about school and remind them of how it will help in the long run. Try setting boundaries around:

Attending school. Make it clear you expect them to go to school every day.
Getting homework done.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Let your child know that drugs, alcohol, lack of sleep, and poor eating will affect their ability to learn.
After school plans. Be firm about your child having a job or further study arranged before they leave school.

Why stay in school? Graph showing average weekly income by highest qualification

Help them get work experience

Encourage your child to do work experience so they can find out about a range of jobs before making a decision. They may be able to do this while still at school. Talk to the careers adviser about Gateway and other programmes that might be available.
Part-time or holiday work can also help your child gain valuable employment skills. Work experience will make the transition between school and work much easier.

Step-by-step guide to getting into the Gateway programme
The benefits of work experience

Encourage them to get their driver’s licence

: Are you ready to give some driving lessons?

Having a driver’s licence is a valuable skill. Not only can it open up job opportunities, but your child will be able to drive themselves to work if they need to without relying on you. Make time to teach them how to drive or, if you can’t, ask another family member, friend or pay a professional to help.

Community law website - online driving practice tests
Land Transport Safety Authority (LTSA) website - getting a driver's licence

Check out training options

: Perhaps your child is ready for tertiary study or industry training?

There are a number of training options, such as going to university or polytech, or learning a trade. Help your child find out what options may suit them.

What are your tertiary study options?
What are your industry or trade training options?
Step-by-step guide to the STAR programme

Check out employment options

If doing training doesn’t suit your child right now and they are thinking about getting a job, here are some tips to help them with their job hunt:

Speak to key people, for example, friends who have left school, people at work, parents, careers advisers and Gateway co-ordinators.
Make sure their CV is up to date.
Speak to recruitment agencies.
Contact some employers to find out what they are looking for.
Use the Internet for research.
Check out newspapers. They often have sections for job seekers.

Do you have the skills employers are looking for? - Review your skills.