Ragged school facts for kids

Ragged schools were special free schools for poor children in Britain during the 1800s. They were set up to give an education to kids who couldn't afford to go to other schools.

The London Ragged Schools Union started in April 1844. These schools didn't just offer free lessons. They also often gave children food, clothes, and other help they needed. Sometimes, classes were held in unusual places like stables, old lofts, or even under railway arches!

Most of the people who taught at these schools were volunteers. This means they gave their time for free because they wanted to help. However, some teachers were paid. Between 1844 and 1881, about 300,000 children went to ragged schools in London.

Why Education Was Needed

For a long time, there wasn't a proper system for primary education in England. This meant that going to school wasn't a right for every child. Many schools that did exist were run by the Church of England.

Things started to change in the second half of the 1800s. Before 1870, the government didn't have many rules about education.

New Education Laws

In 1870, a very important law called the Forster's Education Act was passed. This law was the first step towards making education available to more children.

Later, in 1880, another law called the Mundella Act made school attendance compulsory for children aged 5 to 10. This meant that children in this age group had to go to school. Special officers would even visit homes to check if children were missing school without a good reason.

If children worked, they needed a special certificate to show they had reached a certain level of education. Employers who hired children without this certificate could get into trouble.

In 1891, the government started paying school fees for children up to ten shillings per child. This made primary education free for many families. Then, in 1893, the school leaving age was raised to 11 years old. These laws slowly made sure that more and more children could get an education.

Images for kids

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  The statue of Thomas Guthrie on Princes Street, Edinburgh

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  Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury

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  Charles Dickens, 1858

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  Ragged School Museum

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  Dr Thomas Barnardo