School leaving age rise to 18

So, I'm supposed to be packing, and thus I blog... Always a good procrastination effort. Also, I did want to air my views on the fact that it was in the papers yesterday how there are now plans to raise the school leaving age to 18 in 2013. I personally think this is ridiculous for several reasons:
(i) Not everyone is suited to 16+ education, and unless there is some huge overhaul of the education system in that time (which I think the government might not find time to make successful by then) then all those who are really suited to leaving at 16 and doing an apprenticeship are going to be put in an awful situation where there is nothing suitable for them to do at school/college and they just don't want to be there, which will either result in high truancy rates or very disrupted classes.
(ii) Classes will be crowded with people who don't want to be there. I know from my A-levels that it was impossible with more than 15 in a class (and we had up to about 27 who wanted to learn in a class I think in 6th form) to learn efficiently and effectively, with due attention and teaching that one should receive at that point in one's education. It is unfair on both teachers and pupils alike to enforce larger classes (which will happen unless enough extra colleges are opened to accommodate the 330, 000 students).
(iii) Where is the funding going to come from? Not only are we going to have to fund the staff and buildings for the extra students, but also the EMA that almost all of the extra students would be entitled to receive. (Apologies for my sweeping assumption that the average teenagers who leave school at 16 would receive EMA, but I believe it to be true. However, I am happy to be corrected on this fact.)

So, I accept that we need a trained workforce in England and we need to improve literacy and numeracy rates, but will forcing everyone to stay in school until they are adult achieve this? Those who are illiterate or innumerate by 16 will probably remain illiterate/innumerate by 18. There is a possibility for vocational training to increase the trained workforce, however would an apprenticeship and learning on the job not be better?

I may add further thoughts at another point in time... Back to the packing for now.

Exams are coming up

... and I haven't been blogging much. How very odd. Perhaps this is due to the distraction that is facebook, as well as msn games. Hmm.

Actually, I haven't blogged for ages anyway. Perhaps little insightful stuff has happened when I've been near a computer with which to blog. Very odd.