Education timeline

Britain's schools pre 1900 

-Until the 19th c., there were few schools 

-Most of those that existed were run by church authorities and stressed religious education. Very sectarian. -- different religious groups – outside religion 

-Church of England resisted early attempts for the state to provide secular education. 

-Education was highly stratified by class 

-Pervasive child labour 

-Reluctant to levy taxes for schools – people didn’t want to pay for them 

The "Voluntary" schools – 1800s: 

-As the population expanded and urbanised in the 19th c., philanthropists were concerned to provide schools for the poor because they: 

• Genuinely wanted to help, 

• Saw it as a way of decreasing crime 

• Wanted to instil religious principles 

-These were known as "voluntary" schools 

-By 1870, only a quarter of the children went to school 

Change: 

-"Foster" Education Act of 1870 – for the first time brought education into remit of govt. For the first-time education wasn’t delivered purely by independent schools (esp Church). 

-Schools were provided for children 5-12 yrs. 

-School…