Number leaving school at 15 almost doubles

Education Correspondent Niall Murray reports on the increase in early school-leavers.

THE number of 15-year-olds leaving school early almost doubled between 1996 and 2002, the latest census report shows.

Figures gathered in the 2002 Census show that 5.5% of 15-year-olds had left school, compared to just 3.1% six years earlier.