History of education in England facts for kids

The history of education in England goes way back to when the Anglo-Saxons first settled in England. The very first church schools were set up in places like Canterbury in 597 and Rochester in 604.

For a long time, education in England was closely connected to churches. But over time, more "charity schools" and "free grammar schools" started. These schools were open to children of all religious backgrounds. In the 1800s, big changes happened. More schools were built, and the government started funding them. By the 1880s, it became mandatory for children aged 5 to 10 to go to school. The age you had to leave school has slowly gone up since then, reaching 18 in 2015.

The education system changed a lot in the 1900s. In the 1940s, a system called the Tripartite System divided secondary schools into grammar schools, secondary technical schools, and secondary modern schools. By the 1960s, this system started to be replaced by comprehensive schools, which were open to all students. More changes in the 1980s brought in the National Curriculum, which set out what subjects all schools had to teach. Parents also got more choice about which school their children could attend. In the 2000s, Academies were introduced, and by the 2010s, they became the main type of secondary school.

Scotland has its own education system. While some information here might apply to Wales, you can find specific details about education in Wales here.

Early Schools and Learning

Before Augustine of Canterbury arrived in England in 597, people mostly learned by listening and remembering stories. Some followed the Roman way of learning, especially in families that had moved from other places.

The very first organized schools in England were linked to the church. Augustine set up a church in Canterbury in 598, which included a school for studying religious texts. In 604, another school opened at what is now Rochester Cathedral. More schools appeared across Britain in the 600s and 700s. They usually came in two types: grammar schools, which taught Latin, and song schools, which trained singers for church choirs.

During the Middle Ages, schools taught Latin grammar to the sons of rich families. These boys were often expected to become priests, monks, or work for the government or in law. Two universities, the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, were also started by the church to further train Christian clergy. Later, a new system of "free grammar schools" was set up during the time of King Edward VI. These also helped people become priests. For practical jobs, most young people learned through apprenticeships.

Education in Early Modern Times

Schools that received money from donations, called "endowed schools," have a long history. The oldest one, King's School, Canterbury, was founded in 597 as a church school. Over time, some of these endowed schools became known as "public schools." This name helped tell them apart from private tutors and showed that they were open to everyone, no matter their religion, where they lived, or their social class. Charity schools also started in the 1500s to educate poor children. Christ's Hospital is a very famous example of these schools.

In Tudor England, King Edward VI reorganized grammar schools and started new ones, creating a national system of "free grammar schools." In theory, these schools were open to everyone and offered free lessons to those who couldn't pay. However, most poor children didn't attend because their families needed them to work to earn money.

The Protestant Reformation had a big impact on education and reading in England. It encouraged people to read the Bible in English, their own language.

In 1562, a law called the Statute of Artificers and Apprentices was passed. It controlled and protected the apprenticeship system. This law said that no one could work in a trade or craft without first spending seven years as an apprentice. Guilds, which were like clubs for different trades, used apprenticeships to control who could join.

After the Act of Uniformity in 1662, some religious groups who disagreed with the official Church of England started their own "dissenting academies." These schools educated students from families who didn't want to follow the rules of the Church of England. Some of these academies still exist today, like Bristol Baptist College.

From 1692, "parish" apprenticeships were used to help poor, orphaned, or illegitimate children. These were different from the skilled apprenticeships for boys from wealthier families. Parish apprenticeships, approved by two Justices of the Peace, trained children for lower-status jobs like farm work or household service.

Until the 1800s, most university teachers and many schoolteachers had to be religious leaders.

Historian David Mitch says that private donations were a major source of school funding by the 1640s, which was special for England. These donations lasted a long time and were still used in the 1800s. Rich landowners, merchants, and clergy were very generous in supporting education. The national school system that developed later in the 1800s used these older donations.

A late 19th century dame school class in East Anglia, England.

Dame Schools: Early Learning for Young Children

Dame Schools were small, informal schools, usually run by widows in their homes. They taught young children, typically aged two to five, the basics: reading, writing, and arithmetic. These schools appeared in Britain and its colonies during the early modern period. The "school dame" was often an older local woman who would look after and teach children for a small fee.

At dame schools, children learned reading and math. Girls often learned needlework like knitting and sewing. Dame schools existed from the 1500s until the mid-1800s, when compulsory education (meaning school was required) was introduced in Britain. They were like the first versions of today's nursery and primary schools. Even though some people made fun of them, many famous people, like Samuel Johnson and William Wordsworth, went to dame schools.

Education in the 1700s

In the early days of the Industrial Revolution, business owners started to dislike the strict rules of the apprenticeship system. A legal decision said that the old apprenticeship law didn't apply to new industries that didn't exist in 1563. This meant many new businesses in the 1700s didn't have to follow the old rules.

In the 1700s and 1800s, the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge started many charity schools for poor students aged 7 to 11. These schools helped develop the modern ideas of primary and secondary education. The Society also helped train teachers early on.

Sunday Schools: Learning on Weekends

Robert Raikes, a newspaper publisher, was a key person in starting the Sunday School Movement. He began in Gloucester in 1780. He believed it was better to prevent bad behavior than to fix it later. He started a school for boys in poor areas. Sunday was the best day because the boys often worked in factories the other six days. He began by teaching children to read the Bible and then learn the catechism (religious teachings). He thought that learning to read through Bible study would help them read other things too. Raikes shared his idea widely, and it quickly became popular. By 1785, over 200,000 English children, and many adults, were going to Sunday Schools. A national group, the Sunday School Society, was formed to help organize them. By 1851, about two-thirds of all working-class children aged 5 to 15 were attending Sunday Schools.

Education in the 1800s

Somerville College, part of the University of Oxford, one of the first women's colleges in England (1879)

Universities for More Students

University College London was the first university in England that wasn't linked to a church. It was open to students of all religions (or none). Then came King's College London, and together they formed the University of London. Durham University also started in the early 1800s. Later in the century, new public universities, often called "redbrick" universities, were founded.

In the 1800s, women also gained the chance to get a university degree. Colleges like Lady Margaret Hall (Oxford), Bedford College (London), Girton College (Cambridge), and Somerville College (Oxford) were established for women.

National and British Schools

Before the 1800s, most schools were run by church groups and focused on religious education. In the early 1800s, the Church of England supported most formal education. This continued until the government started free, mandatory education later in the century.

The Church of England at first didn't want the government to provide non-religious education. In 1811, the Anglican National Society was formed to educate poor children in the Church of England's beliefs. The schools they started were called National Schools. Many of these schools were later taken over by the state system under the Butler Act (1944). Even today, many state schools, especially primary ones, still have a link to the Church of England because of their history.

Protestant groups who were not part of the Church of England started "British schools." These were non-religious and were supported by various Christian groups.

By 1831, Sunday Schools in Great Britain were teaching 1,250,000 children every week, which was about 25% of the population. Since these schools existed before the government started funding public schools, they are sometimes seen as a step towards today's English school system.

Ragged Schools: Helping the Poorest Children

Ragged schools were small charity organizations that offered free education to very poor children. These schools were set up in working-class areas for the most disadvantaged young people. These children were often not allowed into Sunday Schools because they looked untidy or behaved poorly. After a few such schools started in the early 1800s, the London Ragged School Union was created in 1844. It aimed to combine resources in the city, providing free education, food, clothing, and shelter for poor children. These schools gradually disappeared by the late 1800s.

Government Steps into Education

In August 1833, Parliament started giving money each year to build schools for poor children. This was the first time the government got involved with education in England and Wales. (Scotland had already started programs for universal education in the 1600s).

In 1839, government money for building and maintaining schools was given to volunteer groups. This money was only given if the schools passed a satisfactory inspection.

In 1840, the Grammar Schools Act expanded what grammar schools taught. It added science and literature to the traditional classical studies. In 1861, a report called the Royal Commission on the state of popular education in England found that over 120,000 children in England and Wales were not getting any school education at all.

In fee-charging public schools, which served the upper class, important changes were made by Thomas Arnold at Rugby. He focused on sports and teamwork, which helped define ideas of masculinity.

Robert Lowe, a powerful politician, wanted to improve education standards and stop public money from being wasted on bad teaching. In 1861, he introduced a new rule: future government money would be given based on how many students passed an exam in reading, writing, and arithmetic. This was called ‘payment by results’. This rule was fair but was criticized by teachers and church groups.

The Elementary Education Act of 1870

William Forster helped create the first Education Act in 1870

Out of 4.3 million primary school-aged children in England and Wales, 1 million were in volunteer-run schools and 1.3 million were in state-aided schools. But 2 million children had no access to schools at all.

William Forster's Elementary Education Act 1870 made it mandatory for partially state-funded "board schools" to be set up. These schools would provide basic (primary) education in areas where there weren't enough schools. School boards, chosen by local people, managed these schools. The schools still charged fees, but poor parents could be excused from paying.

The Act also allowed school boards to make local rules to make school attendance mandatory for children aged 5 to 13. However, children over 10 who had reached a certain standard could be excused. Other reasons for not attending included illness, working, or living too far from a school.

Two parts of the Act caused arguments for religious reasons. First, nonconformists (Protestants not part of the Church of England) didn't want their children taught Anglican beliefs. As a compromise, William Cowper-Temple suggested that religious teaching in the new state schools should be non-denominational, avoiding arguments between different religious groups. This became known as the Cowper-Temple clause. Parents also had the right to take their children out of any religious instruction.

Second, the Act allowed school boards to pay the fees for poor children attending church schools. Even though few boards did this, nonconformists were very angry. They saw it as local tax money being spent on Church of England schools. This disagreement caused problems for the Liberal Party in the 1874 election.

Mandatory and Free Primary Education: 1880s and 1890s

The "Sandon Act" of 1876 made it a legal duty for parents to make sure their children were educated. The Elementary Education Act 1880 made school attendance mandatory for children aged 5 to 10. It also allowed schools to set a standard that children had to reach before they could work. Poor families often sent their children to work to earn extra money. School attendance officers would visit homes of children who didn't go to school, but this wasn't always effective. Children who worked needed a certificate to show they had met the "educational standard." Employers who hired children without this certificate were punished.

The Elementary Education Act 1891 made primary education basically free by having the state pay school fees up to ten shillings per child.

The Elementary Education (School Attendance) Act 1893 raised the school leaving age to 11. The Elementary Education (Blind and Deaf Children) Act of the same year made education mandatory for blind and deaf children and allowed for special schools to be created for them.

Another law in 1899 raised the school leaving age to 12.

In the late Victorian period, grammar schools were reorganized and their subjects were updated. Latin was still taught.

Funding for Technical Colleges

The Technical Instruction Act 1889 was passed. It allowed local councils to collect a small tax to support technical and manual training. The subjects taught in technical schools also had to be approved by the Science and Art Department. The next year, a "whiskey tax" was introduced, which provided more money for technical training.

From April 1900, "higher elementary schools" were recognized. These schools provided education for students aged 10 to 15.

Balfour and Local Education Authorities

The Balfour Act of 1902

The Conservative Education Act 1902 (also known as the 'Balfour Act') brought big changes to the education system in England and Wales. It reduced the differences between schools run by local school boards and the 14,000 church schools, which educated about a third of all children. Local Education Authorities (LEAs) were created. These new authorities could set local taxes for education, and the old school boards were closed down. Money was provided for religious teaching in voluntary elementary schools, which were mostly owned by the Church of England and Roman Catholics. The law was extended to London in 1903.

Historians generally agree that this Act was a political problem for the Conservative Party in the short term. It angered Methodists, Baptists, and other nonconformists because it used public money to support Anglican and Catholic religions, which they disagreed with. However, it was a long-term success. Church schools now received some funding from local taxpayers and had to meet common standards. The Act led to a rapid growth of secondary schools, with over 1000 opening by 1914, including 349 for girls. Eventually, in 1944, Anglican schools were largely taken over by the state. Grammar schools also started getting money from the LEAs. The Act was important because it allowed all schools, including religious ones, to be funded by local taxes. It also ended the role of locally elected school boards. The Liberal Party came to power in 1906, but their attempt to get rid of the Act was blocked.

Over time, most Nonconformist schools disappeared. In 1902, Methodists ran 738 schools, but by 1996, only 28 remained.

The Fisher Act of 1918

The Fisher Education Act 1918 made secondary education mandatory up to age 14 and gave the state responsibility for secondary schools. Because of this Act, many higher elementary schools and endowed grammar schools tried to become state-funded "central schools" or secondary schools. However, most children still went to elementary (primary) school until age 14, instead of going to a separate secondary school. The Act was also known as the "Fisher Act" because H. A. L. Fisher created it. Starting in 1921, it made education mandatory from 5 to 14 years old. It also planned for mandatory part-time education for all 14- to 18-year-olds. There were also plans to expand tertiary education (education after secondary school) by raising the age of participation to 18. However, these plans were dropped because of budget cuts after World War I. This was the first Act that started planning for young people to stay in education until age 18.

After the Local Government Act 1929 was passed, schools for the poor became state-funded elementary schools. In the 1930s, the idea of "junior technical schools" was introduced to provide job-focused education at the secondary level, but not many of them were opened.

1944: Butler's Education Act

The Education Act 1944 was created to meet the growing social and educational needs after World War II and the demand for social reform. It covered only England and Wales and was written by Conservative politician Rab Butler. Known as "the Butler Act," it clearly separated primary education and secondary education at age 11.

The Butler Act was also a compromise between the church and the state. Three new types of schools were created. The first were Voluntary Controlled schools. Their costs were paid by the state, and they were controlled by the local education authority. These schools were popular with Anglicans, and many of their schools chose this status, becoming part of the state system. The second were Voluntary Aided schools. These schools kept more control over who they admitted, their staff, and what they taught. Roman Catholics and some Anglican schools preferred these. The state paid all their running costs, but only 50% of their building costs (later increased to 75% by the Education Act 1959, and now 90%). The third type was Direct Grant Schools. These were former independent schools that accepted money from the state in exchange for providing free education to many students, while still charging others. The state had little control over what they taught or who they admitted. The elite public schools were mostly unchanged.

The school leaving age was raised to 15 under the Butler Act, with the hope of raising it to 16 later. This didn't happen until the early 1970s. The Act also suggested mandatory part-time education for all young people until age 18, but this was dropped to save money after the war.

The government started to think that leaving school at 14 was no longer enough. They believed that 14 was the age when young people truly understood the value of education and when adolescence was at its peak. It was seen as the worst age to suddenly switch from education to work. While there were worries about having less labor from these children, it was hoped that having more qualified, skilled workers would make up for the loss of unskilled labor.

The 1944 Act came into effect in 1947 when the Labour Party was in power. It adopted the Tripartite System, which included grammar schools, secondary modern schools, and secondary technical schools. It rejected the idea of comprehensive schools, which some in the Labour Party preferred for being more equal. Under the tripartite system, students who passed an exam could go to a prestigious grammar school. Those who didn't pass the test went to secondary modern schools or technical schools.

This new law was widely praised. Conservatives liked it because it respected religion and social order. Labour liked it because it created new chances for working-class children. The public liked it because it ended the fees they had to pay. The Act became a lasting part of the Post-war consensus supported by the three main political parties.

However, choosing academically gifted children for grammar schools became more and more controversial in the 1960s. Critics on the left said grammar schools were elitist because students had to pass a test at age 11 to get in. Supporters argued that grammar schools allowed students to get a good education based on their ability, not their family's income. No changes were made at first. In some areas, like the London County Council, comprehensive schools were introduced. These schools had no entrance test and were open to all children living in the school's area.

Comprehensive Education and Changes

In 1965, the Labour government required all local education authorities to plan to stop selecting students at age eleven. Instead, they wanted to replace the tripartite system with comprehensive schools. The minister, Tony Crosland, did this by using Circular 10/65 and by stopping funding for any school that kept the selection process. This circular was strongly opposed by those who supported grammar schools. Some counties delayed and kept the Tripartite System in most areas. These authorities still used local selection tests.

The Circular also asked local authorities to talk with the partially state-funded direct grant grammar schools about joining a comprehensive system, but not much happened. A 1970 report suggested that these schools either become fully state-funded comprehensive schools or become completely independent. This finally happened with the Direct Grant Grammar Schools (Cessation of Grant) Regulations 1975. Some schools (mostly Catholic) became fully state-funded, while most became independent, fee-paying schools.

In 1973, the Education (Work Experience) Act allowed local authorities to arrange work experience for students in their final year of school.

In some parts of the country, these changes also led to the introduction of Middle schools in 1968. In these schools, students stayed in primary or junior school for an extra year. As of 2007, there are fewer than 400 middle schools in England.

Raising the School Leaving Age

In 1964, plans began to raise the school leaving age to 16, starting from September 1, 1973. This meant the legal leaving age increased from 15 to 16. For one year, 1973, there were no 15-year-old school leavers because students had to complete an extra year of education by law.

Many secondary schools didn't have enough space for the new 5th-year students. The solution was to build new buildings, often called "ROSLA Buildings" or "ROSLA Blocks," to expand school capacity. These buildings were delivered in self assembly packs and were not meant to last long. However, some have lasted much longer than planned and were still in use in the 2010s.

Primary School Changes

The 1967 Plowden Report suggested a more child-centred approach to primary education. It also supported the idea of middle schools. While many of the report's ideas were never fully put into practice, primary schools started to move away from rote learning (learning by repeating things) in the late 1960s and 1970s.

Apprenticeships: Learning on the Job

High-tech industries like aerospace and automotive trained their engineers through an advanced apprenticeship system, usually a 5-year process. In the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, the higher Apprenticeship framework offered young people (aged 16) an alternative to A-levels. It allowed them to get a qualification at a similar level to a degree, like an Ordinary National Certificate or a City & Guilds technician course. For advanced engineering apprenticeships, students needed good grades in mathematics, physics, and English language. The goal of these advanced apprenticeships was to provide young people with valuable skills and knowledge through work-based learning. This system connected industries with local technical colleges and engineering groups.

The Advanced Apprenticeship Framework provided clear paths for young people to enter work and gain qualifications. This system had been in place since the 1950s. It gave young people an alternative to staying in full-time education after 16 or 18 just to get academic qualifications without work experience. The Advanced Apprenticeships of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s prepared people to become Engineering Technicians, Technician Engineers, or Chartered Engineers. Apprentices worked in various technical roles, helping engineers with design, development, manufacturing, and maintenance.

Industry Training Boards (ITBs) were introduced in 1964. They required employers in certain sectors to pay a training fee or spend a similar amount on training their employees. Most ITBs were later phased out, but the Construction Industry Training Board still exists today.

In modern times, apprenticeships became less common, especially as jobs in heavy industry and traditional trades declined after the 1980s. Traditional apprenticeships reached their lowest point in the 1980s. By then, formal training programs were rare, and apprentices mostly learned by watching others.

Conservative Governments: 1979 to 1997

After the 1979 General Election, the Conservative Party came back to power under Margaret Thatcher. In the early years, they made two main changes:

• New Vocationalism was expanded. This was an effort to reduce high youth unemployment, which was seen as a cause of riots in the late 1970s. The Youth Opportunities Programme was the main scheme for 16- to 18-year-olds. It started in 1978 under the Labour government but was greatly expanded by the Conservatives. It ran until 1983 when it was replaced by the Youth Training Scheme.
• The Assisted Places Scheme was introduced in 1980. This scheme gave free places in fee-paying schools to talented children whose families couldn't afford the fees, if they passed the school's entrance exam.

In 1986, National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) were introduced to improve vocational training (job-focused training). Still, by 1990, apprenticeships made up only a very small part of total employment.

The Education Reform Act of 1988

The 1988 Education Reform Act brought major changes to the education system. These changes aimed to create a 'market' in education, where schools would compete for students. The idea was that "bad" schools would lose students to "good" schools and would either have to improve, shrink, or close.

The reforms included:

• The National Curriculum was introduced. This made it mandatory for schools to teach certain subjects and topics. Before this, schools chose their own subjects.
• National curriculum assessments were introduced at different age groups (ages 7, 11, 14, and 16). These were formerly called Standard Assessment Tests (SATS). At age 16, the assessments were part of the GCSE exam.
• Formula funding was introduced. This meant that the more children a school attracted, the more money it would receive.
• Open enrolment and choice for parents were brought back. Parents could now choose or influence which school their children attended.
• Schools could, if enough parents agreed, choose to be independent from local government control. They would become grant-maintained schools and receive money directly from the central government. The government offered more money than the school would usually get from the local authority to encourage this.
• Religious education was changed. The law required that most collective worship in schools be "mainly of a broadly Christian character."

Apprenticeship Changes

In 1994, the government introduced Modern Apprenticeships (now just called 'Apprenticeships'). These were based on plans developed by different industry groups. These apprenticeships included:

• A knowledge-based part, usually certified through a qualification called a 'Technical Certificate'.
• A skills-based part, usually certified through an NVQ.
• Key Skills (like reading, writing, and math).

Education Act 1996

Between 1976 and 1997, the rules for leaving school were a bit complicated. A child whose 16th birthday was between September 1 and January 31 could leave school at the end of the spring term (the following Easter). A child whose 16th birthday was between February 1 and August 31 could leave on the Friday before the last Monday in May.

Under the Education Act 1996, a new single school leaving date was set for 1998 and all years after. This date was the last Friday in June in the school year when the child turned 16.

The Act also made it a duty for parents to ensure their children received a full-time education, either at school or "otherwise." This officially recognized home education.

Labour Governments: 1997 to 2010

The New Labour party used the slogan "Education, Education, Education" in the mid-1990s. When they came to power after the 1997 general election, they kept many of the Conservative changes. However, the following changes did take place:

• Labour's previous focus on the comprehensive system shifted. They started focusing on tailoring education to each child's ability. Some critics saw this as similar to the original ideas of the Tripartite system.
• Grant-maintained status was removed. Former grant-maintained schools could choose to rejoin the local authority as a maintained community school or become a foundation school.

Even though the government-run eleven-plus exam (a selection test for all children) was abolished, voluntary selection tests still happen in some areas. This is where some of the original grammar schools have been kept. These areas include parts of Devon, Kent, Essex, Birmingham, and some London boroughs. There have been attempts to abolish all remaining grammar schools, but so far, they haven't succeeded. The remaining grammar schools are still selective, usually taking the top 10-25% of students from the local area. Some of these grammar schools have existed since before the 1500s.

• Labour expanded a policy started by the Conservatives: creating specialist schools through the specialist schools programme. These new secondary schools teach the National Curriculum subjects plus a few specialized areas (like business studies) not found in most other schools. These schools are allowed to select 10% of their students.

* In 1997, there were 196 specialist schools. By August 2002, there were 1000. The plan was to have 2000 by 2006, with the goal of making all secondary schools specialist eventually.

• The Beacon Schools programme was set up in England in 1998. Its goal was to find high-performing schools and help them work together. They would also provide examples of good practices for other schools. This program was replaced in 2005 with new programs.
• A new job title, Advanced Skills Teacher, was created. Highly skilled teachers could be paid more if they took on new roles that involved helping other schools.
• City Academies were introduced. These are new schools, built on the site of, or taking over from, existing schools that were struggling. A city academy is an independent school within the state system. It is not controlled by the local education authority and receives significant funding from interested groups like businesses or charities.
• Education Action Zones were introduced. These were disadvantaged areas run by a local group aiming to improve schools in that area.
• Vocational qualifications were renamed or restructured. For example, GNVQs became Vocational GCSEs and AVCEs.
• The New Deal was introduced. This program provided advisors and financial help to long-term unemployed people (unemployed for more than 6 months) who wanted to go back into education.
• Literacy and Numeracy Hours were introduced into schools, and targets were set for reading and math skills.
• Targets were set for reducing truancy (students skipping school).
• A maximum class size of 30 was set for 5-7 year olds.
• The EMA (Education Maintenance Allowance) was introduced. This was money paid to 16- to 18-year-olds to encourage them to stay in full-time education and get A-Levels or AVCEs.
• A Performance Threshold was introduced in 2000. This allowed experienced teachers to earn higher pay if they met certain performance standards, including how well their students achieved.
• Curriculum 2000 was introduced, which changed the Further Education system into the current structure of AS levels, A2 levels, and key skills.
• The Assisted Places Scheme was abolished.
• A report was requested, led by former chief-inspector of schools, Mike Tomlinson. This report looked into changing the curriculum and qualifications for 14- to 19-year-olds. The report, published in 2004, suggested a new diploma that would combine both vocational (job-focused) and academic qualifications. It also aimed to ensure all students had basic core skills.
• In 2003, a government paper called Every Child Matters was published. It focused on four main areas:

* Supporting families and carers, as they have the biggest influence on children's lives. * Making sure help is given to children before they reach a crisis point and protecting them. * Fixing problems like weak accountability and poor teamwork, which were identified in the report about the death of Victoria Climbié. * Making sure people who work with children are valued, rewarded, and trained.

This paper led to discussions about services for children, young people, and families. The government published Every Child Matters: the Next Steps in 2004 and passed the Children Act 2004. This Act provided the legal framework for developing more effective services focused on the needs of children and families.

• In January 2007, Education Secretary Alan Johnson announced plans to extend the school leaving age in England to 18 by 2013. This would raise the leaving age for the first time since 1972. The changes included apprenticeships and work-based training, as well as continued academic learning. This became law through the Education and Skills Act 2008, with the school leaving age raised to 17 in 2013 and 18 in 2015.

Cameron's Time as Prime Minister: 2010 – 2016

The Academies Act 2010, one of the first laws introduced by the Conservative – Liberal Democrat coalition government, allowed publicly funded schools in England to become academies. These schools are still publicly funded but have much more freedom in things like setting teachers' wages and changing from the National Curriculum. This also led to different schools merging into much larger academies.

The Education Act 2011 made changes to many areas of education. These included the power of school staff to discipline students, how new teachers are supervised, the rules for qualifications, how local authority schools are run, and the provision of education after age 16, including vocational apprenticeships and student money for higher education. It also closed down several organizations like the General Teaching Council for England.

In 2013, the Education and Skills Act 2008 came into force. This law required all young people in England to continue in education or training at least part-time until they were 17 years old. This was extended to 18 years old in 2015.

Academic Qualifications Over Time

Along with job-focused qualifications like GNVQs and BTECs, there have been many different exams and qualifications in secondary education in England.

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