These children were in fact quite lucky, as they were at school and not working. Until 1918 it was legal for children over 9 years old to work for a living. In 1918 this was raised to 12 years old.

Look closely at the photograph and see what you can find.

Source 1: Boys Home Industrial School (1910)

1. Find:

1a. the master’s desk

1b. a framed photograph

1c. any evidence of heating and lighting

2. Explain:

2a. what the classroom might have been like in the winter.

2b. how what is on the wall is different from your classroom.

2c. why the windows are so large

3. Describe:

3a. the uniform the boys are wearing

3b. the equipment they are using

4. How different is this school to the school you are at today? Make a list of the things that are different and the things that are the same:

Ask your teacher or someone at home to tell you how their teachers treated them when they were at school. Do you think that school teachers in 1910 would normally sit with the children? Or do you think this teacher posed for the photograph?

How We Were Taught

Up until the end of the 19th Century there was no law that meant you had to be educated at all. In early Victorian Britain many children never went to school. Parents had to pay for their children to go to school, but many families were too poor to afford this. They sent their children to work in the factories instead.

From 1833 the Government gave money to churches and charities to set up schools which more people could afford. If there was not a church school in the local area, children might be sent to a Dame school. Here old ladies would use their front room as a classroom. If this was still too expensive, parents could send their children to ragged schools. Here children were taught and also trained to work in industry.

Of course, the rich had better choices. When rich children were young, they were taught by a governess or master who lived in their homes. When the boys were older, usually 7 or 8 years old, they would be sent away to boarding schools. Famous schools for the sons of the rich were Harrow, Eton College, Rugby or Winchester. Here the boys would learn Latin, Greek, mathematics, history, geography and sport. Boys learned things that would help them earn a living.

Meanwhile, girls would continue to be taught at home by governesses. Their lessons would be quite different from their brothers’. They would learn French, housekeeping, music, and sewing. Girls learnt how to keep a good home, care for children and be a good hostess.

From 1870 all children were supposed to be educated between the years of 5 and 10. New schools were needed. These were called Board Schools. Children at these schools had to pay a few pence but even then some families could not afford this. Eventually, these schools were made free for everyone in 1891. However, this did not stop children from poor families going out to work. The school day was organised in such a way that children were able to go school and hold down a job. This was not stopped until 1918.

To find out more information about Victorian Schools, ask your librarian for:

• A. Ross, Going to School (A&C Black, 1982)
• E. Longmate Children at Work 1830-1885 (Longman, 1980)

This site has many good photographs of 19th Century schools:

• http://www.btinternet.com/~skua/school/