Today most children go to school starting in kindergarten or pre-school, grammar, high school and then college. Back in 1837 Victorian England, however, most children received the most minimal of educations. Free schools were not available and the poor could not afford to send their children to school, some had to go to work at an early age to help support the family and girls received less of an education as it was believed that they would end up married and raise a family, thus their education would go to waste. Also, there were limited career opportunities for women. By 1900, however, it was determined that all children needed an education, but it was a long and rocky process.

Education of the Poor/Working Class

A national school system in England did not come about until 1870, and it wasn't until 1882 that attendance became mandatory. Also, schooling was not made free until 1891. An education was based on a child's class, sex and generation. Early in the period, schools for the poor were limited to a few small private schools called "dame schools" where only the most basic skills were taught and charity schools often run by churches, sometimes called "ragged schools". Some night schools were also available if the child had enough time and energy to attend after working all day.

Most working class parents early in the period felt reading and writing were the main two skills their child should learn and did not expect any more. The child began school at the age of 3 or 4 and the length of time they spent in school also varied depending upon the family's economic situation as well as the availability of child labor opportunities. Some learned to read, but not write, some attended only Sunday school while others were taught at home such as Marianne Farmingham because the only school within walking distance was associated to the Church of England and they were Baptists.¹

According to the census of 1851, out of 5,000,000 children, only 2,000,000 were attending school. The rest were being taught at home and if old enough, were working by the age of ten. in 1841, it was indicated that the rate of literacy was 67% for men and 51% of women measured by whether or not they could sign their names.²

For those children who were able to attend school, the quality of education was severely lacking. While the schools were not free, the cost was fairly low so the classes were quite large. In many instances, the students were instructed by older students called monitors and rarely if ever saw the schoolmaster.

The importance of reading and writing came to light after 1850 when voting rights were expanded to include working class men by the reform bills of 1867 and 1884. It was determined that the potential voters had to be able to read, write and do a little math. Grants were given by government to build schools and a training program established for the teachers. Payment was based on the children's ability to pass annual exams and move on to the next level. The Education Acts of 1870 and 1872 established a national educational system with a set curriculum overseen by locally elected school boards. If no school was available, the local authorities had to find or build an acceptable one. After attendance was made mandatory in 1880, it was difficult to enforce. There were also loopholes that enabled children at the age of 10 to attend half days so they could work. Fees also contributed to the problem. In some instances charities were found to cover the fees so that a child could go to school. This problem was eliminated in 1889 and 1891 when education was made free for all.

As mentioned, children started school at the age of 3 or 4, sometimes for the reason that there was no one at home to care for them. In 1876, most children left school at the age of 10 but by 1914, the age when they left school was 14. In the smaller villages, students were often taught as a goup in one large hall accommodating anywhere from 50 to 90 students per class. Concentration was placed on reading, writing, math and some religion with science and history being generally overviews. Where additional subjects could be added to the curriculum, it oftentimes included music and geography.

The classrooms were not comfortable with the children sitting behind wooden or steel desks. Some of the schools were poorly constructed resulting in cold rooms during the winter and scorching rooms in the summer. Many of the schools did not even have books. The deplorable conditions led to boredom, restlessness and truancy. Students, both boys and girls, were disciplined by having their hands caned for such things as talking, lateness, passing notes and not following instructions. The students grew to fear their teachers. Not surprising were the reports from the school inspectors indicating minimal education. Classes started at 9:00 A.M. and ended at 12:30 P.M. Vacation consisted of 2 weeks at Christmas, 1 week at Easter and 4 weeks at the end of summer.

Corporal punishment existed during this period and while some parents protested, it was rare that a teacher was reprimanded. Schools in fact, rejected students whose parents they felt protested too much.²

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