CHILDREN IN THE VICTORIAN TIMES

Children at School

Who could go to school ?• By 1837, the learning was only reserved to the

children from rich families who were teached by nannies at home.

• By the end of The Victorians, in1891, the school’s pence fee was abolished, which gave the possibility for poor boys and girls to receive an education. By following that idea, it was the first time children’s labour was challenged

• It was a pretty good improvement in so far as schools became compulsory in 1880. All children had to attend a school until they were 10 years old. In 1889, the school leaving age was raised to twelve.

Different types of school

A little quizz: Children at school http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/victorian_britain/children_at_school/

The grammar schools consist of giving free education to some boys, as an alternative of church

school.

Sunday schools are run bu churches to teach christianity.The national Sunday

school union was founded in 1803.

A clip about education in Victorian times :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/victorian_britain/children_at_school/

The Public Schools :

Which are free-charging school for children from richer

families.

Harrow School in 1862. At public schools like Harrow, sport was an important part of the

boys' education.

Schools boards’ : A group of people who were responsible for the

running of their local school after 1870.

School boards were set up to run local schools in towns around the country.

Ragged schools are schools for poor

children in the early 19th century.

At this London « Ragged school » for poor boys, pupils did carpentry

and other works.

Dame’s Schools run in her home by an elderly

woman, known as a dame, where children

were taught basic reading and writing.

This is a painting of a « dame school » who shows children learning in a garden.

What did they learn?

VOCABULARY• Prayers =

prières

• Dictation = Dictée

• Needlework = couture

• Drill = exercises.

A little video here :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCAjZKIdK0o

A SLATE

VICTORIAN CLASSROOMS

The schools were usually divided by curtains to make classrooms. They were warmed by stoves or open fires. Children were sat on benches. There were a lot of children in one class.

Firstly, they learnt to write on slates and when they were older, they started to write in copybooks with ink .

In 1833, Parliament voted the first grant to support education for the poor. It was a very small sum of £20,000. This grant did not introduce state education but it helped the Church provide schooling.

Despite these modest beginnings, within 40 years the cost of state support for education had increased to £800,000. 

The device of a central Board with certain powers and local administration was pioneered in 1834, when the Poor Law Amendment Act replaced a discredited older system.

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