Since it had been widely acknowledged that children’s education was lacking, it might be supposed that proposals to provide elementary education for all children in England and Wales would meet with huge approval.
A report in 1868 had cited ‘the ignorant condition of the youthful population’, stating that of the 100,000 children aged between 3 and 12 in Manchester and Salford, only 55,000 were on the school books, and average attendance was 38,000. A similar situation existed in Birmingham where just 15,490 of the 35,018 children aged 3–12 were at school. What education had been received was also deemed unsatisfactory, as around 45% of people aged between 12 and 20 still could not read or write and 75% failed tests in arithmetic and general knowledge. It’s little wonder that many of our ancestors could only sign the marriage register with ‘X her/his mark’ and the spelling of their names was inconsistent.
Clearly, something needed to be done. However, there were heated debates about how best to proceed …
What provision existed for educating children?
Early in the 19th century, an attempt was made to channel the various educational establishments, from Sunday schools, charity schools and ragged schools, into a national system of elementary schooling on a voluntary basis. Two main providers emerged. The largest, the National Society, founded on 16 November 1811, aimed to establish a National School in every parish of England and Wales, usually next to the church. It was incorporated by charter in 1817 as the National Society for
