Going to school in the Victorian era

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 1

Going to school in the Victorian era

Lesson goals

- We know who went to school and who didn't go to school in the Victorian times.

- We know what kind of schools they had in the Victorian era.

- We know what it was like to go to school in the Victorian era. 

Let's see what we already know

Discuss in pairs: 

Do you think all children went to school?

What do you think school was like back then?

What was it like in the beginning of the Victorian era?

For lots of poor families, the children were a source of income.

Those children worked 8-12 hours a day, six days a week.

They did very dangerous work and often got injured.

Only boys from rich families went to school.

Poor children sometimes went to Sunday school where they would learn to read a little. 

What happened during the Victorian era?

In 1844, Parliament passed a law which meant that children working in factories had to go to school 6 half-days a week. 

This led to the 'Ragged Schools' . Those were schools set up to provide free basic education for orphans and very poor children.

A lot of change

In 1870, parliament passed the first "Education act".

 All children had to attend a school until they were 10 years old. However, many could not afford to pay the "pence fee" they had to pay to go school.

In 1891, the school's pence fee was abolished and children could go to school for free.

Video Assignment

1. What is the teacher like? 

2. What do the children use to write on?

3.  What do the children learn in school?

4. What's the dunce's hat?

Video Assignment

1. What is the teacher like? 

2. What do the children use to write on?

3.  What do the children learn in school?

4. What's the dunce's hat?

What were the schools like?

Schools could have as many as 70 to 80 students in one class.

Teachers were very strict.

Children were often taught by reading and copying things down.

What did they learn?

They focussed on teaching the children to read and write. They were also taught arithmetic. 

Once a week they would learn geography, history and singing.

The girls would also learn to sew. 

After learning all that...

Discuss in pairs: 

What differences can you name between school today and school back then?

Which era would you prefer to go to school in? The Victorian or modern era? Why?

Do this assignment in pairs.

Lesson goal: we know who went to school and who didn't go to school in the Victorian times.

Who went to school at the beginning of the Victorian era?

Lesson goal: we know who went to school and who didn't go to school in the Victorian times.
Which groups of kids went to school by the end of the Victorian era?

Lesson goal: we know what kind of schools they had in the Victorian era.
What were the schools for poor children called?

Lesson goal: we know what it was like to go to school in the Victorian era.
In your own words, what was it like to go to school back then?