You don't have to go back to school at the start of the autumn term, if you're 16 or over. The actual law is that you can leave school on the last Friday in June, in the school year in which you turn 16. (The school year ends at the end of the summer holidays.)
You're still entitled to free full–time education – at school, sixth form college, or city technology college – until your 19th birthday. If you do leave education for work, you're allowed to take time off for training or study until you're 17.
© Haydn Thompson 2017