Document Studies 2582

Education 1833-1851

Education in the 18th century

Only basic education offered to the working classes

Provided by Dame schools and charity schools

1780 establishment of Sunday Schools by Robert Raikes

Taught basics of Christian morality, reading and writing

By 1831 around 1½ million students involved

How effective was this?

Important because provided education for those in factories 6 days a week

Failed to prevent drop in literacy rate caused by impact of industrialisation

1750s Preston male literacy stood at 72.7% BY 1820s this had fallen to 49.6 %

Church Schools

British and Foreign Society founded by Joseph Lancaster, a Quaker (1810)

Anglican National Society set up by Andrew Bell in 1811

These 2 men developed the monitor system whereby older pupils taught younger ones

Cheap system but limited to basic numeracy & literacy

Government involvement (1)

Involvement was only indirect 1802 Factory Act tried to force factory owners

to provide regular schooling for child workers but there was no enforcement

1833 Parliament voted grant of £20,000 for education

This was to aid private subscriptions to build school houses for ‘the education of the children of poorer classes’

Government Involvement (2)

Money was to go the 2 Church organisations 1834 Lord Brougham rejected notion of a national

educational system as being ‘unsuitable’ and ‘unjustifiable’

1839 new grant of £30,000 voted by parliament ►

1839 Government set up Committee of the Privy Council for Education

Dr James Kay(-Shuttleworth) appointed Secretary – 1st central govt educational administrator

Dr James Kay-Shuttleworth

Former doctor and Poor Law Commissioner

Laid foundations for national educ system

Appointed 2 Inspectors of Schools 1839

Made sure grants were well spent

1846 set up first teacher training college

How Successful?

Kay’s work hampered by opposition from Churches

Non Conformists opposed educational clauses in Graham’s 1843 Factory Bill

Charity schools remained popular – less religion and no cost!

Other Schools

1844 Ragged Schools Union set up to educate poorest children – 202 by 1852

Under New Poor Law of 1834 schools were to be set up to educate pauper children – not very successful

Regular education for factory children was feature of Factory Acts of 1802 & 1833

Generally standard of education was poor

Which factors hampered the development of elementary education? Lack of government

funding – income £55M in 1840s – educ budget £40K

Some MPs viewed it as dangerous

Laisser-faire – leave it to charity

Radicals like Cobbett saw education as means of social control

Opposition from Churches to a national system

Conflict between Churches

Poor Law legislation weak regarding provision of schooling

Standard of schooling provided by factories poor quality

The Final Word!

One outstanding issue seems to be a lack of central organisation. Churches, workhouses, charitable bodies and factory owners were all providing (or were expected to provide) some form of elementary education but there was no attempt to provide centralised authority until 1839.

Not enough resources made available Churches defended own territory