Practical Law Public Sector addresses the questions that schools may ask local authorities regarding day-to-day school management and sets out the legal issues to consider when responding:
This FAQ examines the law governing work experience for school-age pupils. For all our school hotline queries, please see Practice note, Schools hotline FAQs.
Q: What is the law governing formal and informal work experience for school-age pupils?
A: Section 560 of the EA 1996 allows children of compulsory school age to take part in work experience schemes. For more information on work experience schemes, see Practice note, Employment of children. Schools should ensure that they have in place arrangements whereby the work experience placement provider notifies the school of any absences by individual pupils. Schools should record whether pupils attend work experience in the same way as they record their school attendance (see DfE: School Attendance (November 2013)). Unauthorised non-attendance at work experience should be treated in the same way as unauthorised absence from school.