Background for teachers
Introduction
At the beginning of the Victorian period, the state was already
involved in education. The Industrial Revolution had prompted an
interest in schooling for the masses, not only as a necessary
minimum requirement for children entering work, but also as an
attempt to reinforce social hierarchy.
Early schools for the poor
Many poor children went to one or more of the following type of
school: church, common day, dame, factory, ragged, Sunday and
workhouse.
Many working class families could not afford to send their
children to school before state education became free in 1891. They
needed the income the children earned or did not have the money
needed to pay the teacher(s). Many of those who could afford
education went to Dame Schools run by older ladies who taught basic
reading and writing, and charged around 4d per week. They took
children up to the age of about 7, after which they either went to
work or to Common Day Schools. At these, pupils learned arithmetic,
geography and history as well as reading and writing.
Factory Schools were created in factories and mills after the
Factory Acts of 1833 and 1844. The former required children under
13 employed in factories to have 2 hours schooling a day, which was
raised to 6 half days by the latter. This education was largely
restricted to reading and writing and its quality was often
poor.
Ragged Schools taught children from the poorest families. John
Pounds, a cobbler in Portsmouth, was concerned about the large
numbers of ill-educated children on the streets, and began to teach
some of them how to make and repair shoes and also to read and
write. The idea was adopted by others all over the UK who
established charities. The Ragged School Union was formed in 1844
to encourage more and by 1870 there were over 200.
Sunday Schools were started as early as 1780 by Robert Raikes of
Gloucester, who became concerned about children roaming the streets
on their only day off from work. Over 23,000 such schools with over
2 million children had been established by 1851. They offered bible
stories, religious education, morals and often basic reading. By
1901 they attracted over 5 million children.
Workhouse Schools were set up to educate the children of the
poor who were unable to look after themselves due to poverty,
disability or ill-health. The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 stated
that these children should receive basic education within the new
workhouses, which were massive, forbidding buildings.
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British, national and board schools
Beginning of State Education
From 1833 the Government offered building grants to set up
National Schools and British Schools. National Schools were run by
the National Society for the Education of the Poor, a Church of
England organisation. British Schools were run by the British and
Foreign Schools Society, usually NonConformist organisations. Over
500 church schools had been established by 1837. In 1839 Her
Majesty's Inspectorate was established and a series of measures
were introduced, designed to make teaching standards more uniform
and to encourage attendance.
Forster's Education Act of 1870 created local School Boards,
elected by ratepayers. These were to fill the gaps in the existing
system by building non-denominational Board Schools, financially
supported from the rates. However, it was not until Mundella's Act
of 1880 that schooling became compulsory for 5-10 year olds (later
raised to 13). School fees were abolished in 1891, leading to a
further rise in the number of children attending. In 1902,
Balfour's Act abolished School Boards and responsibility for
running former Board schools was then transferred to the Local
Education Authority.
For those who wish to find information specific to their own
school or those in their area in Victorian times, school logbooks
are the most useful source. They record information on the
management of schools; sometimes recording details of staff and
salaries; lessons taught and equipment; facilities and problems of
the building; as well as HMI inspections. They also record problems
of discipline, and attendance (caused by the weather, illness,
parents keeping the children at home and truancy). Visitors,
treats, prize-givings and holidays given for specific events are
also noted.
They are available to research at:
West Sussex Record Office
Orchard Street
Chichester
PO19 1RN
Phone: 01243 753600
Schools for the middle classes
Middle class children usually attended academies or grammar
schools, and the wealthier had private tutors. Middle class
families also tended to send their boys rather than girls for
formal education. Fee-based grammar schools and public schools,
some of which had been established several centuries before, were
popular. Both taught a broader curriculum which often included
French, Greek, Latin, geography, history, mathematics and
scripture. In West Sussex, Nathaniel Woodard established Ardingly,
Hurstpierpoint and Lancing Colleges in the 1840s and 1850s, all
fee-based schools for the middle classes. They survive today and
their archives are held at Lancing College.
Further research
A large collection of books on the Victorians is available from
WSCC's Schools Library Service and can be tailored to your
requirements as project loans. They have information on school
buildings, classrooms, equipment, lessons, discipline, playtime and
drill, attendance, fees and so on, written for Primary School
children.
For Victorians booklist, see the Source gallery of the website
or the West Sussex Schools Library
Service.
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