This weekend marks 150 years since the original Elementary Education Act 1870 received royal assent. But what was the act? And what changes did it bring? We take a closer look at its history, and its critics.
What is the Elementary Education Act 1870?
This act was responsible for setting the framework for schooling of all children between the ages of 5 and 13 in England and Wales.
Who supported the act?
The Elementary Education Act was supported by the National Education League (NEL). The NEL was a political movement in England and Wales led by William Forster. It promoted elementary education for all children, free from religious control. The legislation is sometimes called the “Forster Act”.
Before the act, education wasn’t monitored by boards to check there were enough places. Education also wasn’t publicly funded, and it wasn’t free - nor was it compulsory. In schools you couldn’t “opt out” of religious teaching. Inspections also didn’t take place in schools in England and Wales.
The act was updated in 1918 to reflect the changing demands upon the education system.
Where can I see the original manuscript?
Teachers who wish to see the original manuscript can take a pilgrimage to the British Library, where a copy of the book containing the act is held.
Did the act make all education free?
Although the aim of the act was to make school free for all children, that wasn’t quite what it achieved. Instead, it did order that an education be within the reach of all children. It achieved this by dividing England into districts, under the management of local school boards.
State involvement in education that was of a religious character proved problematic, with MP John Candlish arguing that “to compel a parent to contribute to the education of another man’s child in a religion of which he did not approve was a religious liberty which he, for one, would rather be without”.
