PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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The Elementary Education Act 1870 (Vict. 33 & 34 Ch 75), often known as Forster's Education Act after its promoter, Mr William Edward Forster (181-1886), divided England into 2,568 educational districts each administered by a school board. They were given authority to set up elementary schools if the existing number of voluntary or endowed schools was insufficient to meet the demand. The schools were secular and non-denominational, although a later amendment to the Act allowed them to provide religious instruction if they wished. They were allowed to charge fees for providing the education but they were also eligible for grants from the Government and also the local rates. The Act came in to force on Monday August 8th 1870. One unusual feature of the Boards at that time was that women were allowed to vote for their members and to serve on the Boards. The Devonport School Board was formed on January 24th 1871; Plymouth's on January 31st 1871 and the that for Stonehouse on June 16th 1874. There is some uncertainty exactly when the Plymstock School Board was formed but it was most probably on Wednesday June 21st 1871. By 1876 it was established that all children should have the opportunity of elementary education. Although the 1870 Act allowed for education up to the age of 10, it was the Education Act of 1880 that made attendance compulsory up to the age of 10 years, at which age a child could obtain a certificate and leave school if his attendance record was good. If not, then the child was required to stay on at school longer. In 1890, after a great deal of heated argument, the ratepayers of the parish of Egg Buckland decided to form the Egg Buckland and Laira Green School Board. Eleven became the school-leaving age in 1893 and this was raised to twelve in 1899. Infant schools covered the age up to 7 years and elementary took over from 7 until the child could legally leave school. In November 1896 the Egg Buckland and Laira Green School Board was amalgamated in to the Plymouth School Board as a consequence of the extension of the Borough boundary. At the end of the 19th century the area to the north of Plymouth, in the parish of St Budeaux, was beginning to grow quickly and it was found necessary to establish a school in that area. For that purpose the St Budeaux School Board was formed in 1901. Likewise, Pennycross only had the National School attached to the parish church and so the Devonport School Board established a school at Montpelier. Class sizes were a matter of concern even then. In June 1901 Mr Tozer claimed that the Devonport School Board had over-staffed its schools. The Board's response was that both Plymouth and Devonport allowed for 40 children per head teacher and assistant teacher. Devonport also allowed 40 children per pupil teacher in the third and fourth years but Plymouth had reduced that number to 20. At the same time it was pointed out that in Plymouth the cost of educating each pupil was £6 3s 6d whereas in Devonport it worked out at £5 19s 2d. There were 8,959 children in attendance at schools in Plymouth and 4,900 in Devonport. The School Boards were abolished from October 1st 1903 (in Devonport's case, on March 31st 1903) under the terms of the Education Act 1902 and were replaced from May 1st 1903 by Local Education Authorities. RETURN TO Schools
of the Early 19th Century
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