| KEY Milestones in the History of Education |
These key milestones give a sense of the provision of education up to the mid 19th century. School Log Books were introduced in 1862 as part of the development of schools and continued in use up to the late 20th centrury! Source: The Local Historian's Encylopaedia (3rd Edition) John Richardson ISBN 0948667834 |
1829 Catholic Emancipation Act:: This ACT removed discrimination against Roman Catholic teachers and schools
1833 Factory Schools: The legislation of 1883 was enacted such that juveniles could be employed only if they were also attending a school for a specified number of hours a week. This led to the establishment of Factory Schools.
1844 Poor Law and Workshouse children: Poor Law commissioners were empowered to appoint a teacher for workhouse children. This led to the formation of District Schools serving several workhouses in a district, where children could be educated away from the workhouse buildings.
1857 Industrial Schools Act: this act enabled magistrates to send children found begging, or else needing care and protection, to Industrial Schools to learn a trade.
1870 Forster's Education Act; This major act provided that England should be divided into districts and elementary schools be established in areas where school provision from other sources was insufficient. Boards were set up to manage these districts. Board Schools were the first local authority run school and were, at first, complementary but later competitive, to voluntary and endowed schools. Board schools could be secular and nondenominational but an amendment to the Act, call the Cowper-Temple Conscience Clause, permitted school boards to provide religious instruction if they wished.
1876 Elementary Education and Employment of children: The principle was established that all children should receive elementary education. The legislation established school attendance committees where no school boards existed, and imposed further restrictions on the employment of children.
1880 Education Act:: School attendance to the age of 10 was made compulsory. At that age a child could obtain a certificate and leave but if its attendance record did not meet the standard he or she was required to stay on at school longer.
1889 Education Act: : The Board of Education was set up. County Councils were empowered to levy a one penny rate to provide technical education.
1891 Legislation: Free Elementary Education: was introduced
1893 Legislation: Raising of school leaving age to 11 years.
1899 Legislation: Raising of school leaving age to 12 years
1902 Balfour’s Education Act : Local Authorities were empowered to provide elementary and secondary education, thereby superseding the old School Boards. Usually the secondary education was not coeducational - the boys went to state grammar schools and the girls to high schools.
1918 Legislation: the school leaving age was raised to 14 years.
1944 Education Act: the fees in state secondary schools were abolished. Elementary education was reorganised into infant and Junior schools. Secondary education was graded into modern, grammar and technical schools. The school leaving age was raised to 15 years.