Never really thought about this but perhaps the accepted age is 19 to take into account students who may need to spend their first year at an FE college redoing GCSEs before progressing to A levels/BTECs/etc or maybe doing resits after failing A levels? Or perhaps an apprentice on a three year course?

I know H&S law defines people by age: - a young person is anyone under eighteen years of age (young people); - a child is anyone who is not over compulsory school age. He or she has not yet reached the official age at which they may leave school, also referred to as the minimum school leaving age. (NB the oldest pupils of compulsory school age, those born in September for example, may be as old as 16 years and 10 months in year 11 before they leave school on the last Friday in June.) The law on working time defines a young worker as being below 18 years of age and above the MSLA. All that has throw me is that I have seen several documents in FE where 19 has been used as a mark of duty of care with re. to a student (re. vulnerable groups) which seemed odd as there would be outside this by H&S Law. Has muddied the waters for me and was just seeking clarification. Any more insights welcomed. Andrew

Yet so many more things are denied until 21. Such as: - Being able to adopt a child - Holding an airline transport pilot's licence for an aeroplane, helicopter and gyroplane - Applying for a provisional licence to drive a large passenger vehicle, heavy goods vehicle, tracked vehicles or road rollers - Supervising a learner driver (providing you have held a full licence for the same type of vehicle for at least three years) So strictly speaking 18 is not the means and end all of become an "adult". This aside, if there are any practitioners who have experience of this issue within the FE and HE sectors I encourage you to pitch in with your own insights and experiences to this 18/19 issue re. duty of care. Andrew Böber CMIOSH

It could be due to the school leaving age changing to 18 for those pupils in year 7 now. Since some of them will be 18 years and 10 months when leaving school unless they get an apprenticeship. Therefore 19 covers these pupils until the end of A-levels. D.

But they cary photo ID so not looking 25 becomes a moot point

Sorry, and I'd just read the post about ressurecting old posts.