The history of education in England is documented from Saxon settlement of England, and the setting up of the first cathedral schools in 597 and 604.
Education in England remained closely linked to religious institutions until the nineteenth century, although charity schools and "free grammar schools", which were open to children of any religious beliefs, became more common in the early modern period. Nineteenth century reforms expanded education provision and introduced widespread state-funded schools. By the 1880s education was compulsory for children aged 5 to 10, with the school leaving age progressively raised since then, most recently to 18 in 2015.
The education system was expanded and reorganised multiple times throughout the 20th century, with a tripartite system introduced in the 1940s, splitting secondary education into grammar schools, secondary technical schools and secondary modern schools. In the 1960s this began to be phased out in favour of comprehensive schools. Further reforms in the 1980s introduced the National Curriculum and allowed parents to choose which school their children went to. Academies were introduced in the 2000s and became the main type of secondary school in the 2010s.
This history is closely related to the history of education in Wales, but Scotland has a separate system with a separate history.
Medieval period Prior to the arrival of Augustine of Canterbury in England in 597 education was an oral affair, or followed the Roman model in diaspora and integrated families.
The earliest known organised schools in England were connected to the church. Augustine established a church in Canterbury (which later became St Augustine's Abbey) in 598, which included a school for the study of religious texts, and in 604 this was joined by another school at what is now Rochester Cathedral. Further schools were established throughout the British Isles in the seventh and eighth centuries, generally following one of two forms: grammar schools to teach Latin, and song schools to train singers for cathedral choirs.
During the Middle Ages, schools were established to teach Latin grammar to the sons of the aristocracy destined for priesthood or monastic work with the ministry of government or the law. Two universities were established in affiliation with the church: the University of Oxford, followed by the University of Cambridge, to assist in the further training of the Catholic Christian clergy. A reformed system of "free grammar schools" was established in the reign of Edward VI; these too provided routes towards priesthood. Apprenticeship was the main way for youths to enter practical occupations.
Early modern period Endowed schools have a long history. The oldest, having been founded in 597 as a cathedral school, is King's School, Canterbury. Over time a group of the endowed schools became known as "public schools" to differentiate from private teaching by tutors and to indicate that they were open to the public regardless of religious beliefs, locality and social status. Charity school emerged in the 16th century with the purpose of educating poor children. Christ's Hospital is the most famous of these schools.
In Tudor England, Edward VI reorganised grammar schools and instituted new ones so that there was a national system of "free grammar schools." In theory these were open to all, offering free tuition to those who could not afford to pay fees. However, the vast majority of poor children did not attend academic schools; instead they grew up learning a trade or skill through which they could support themselves and their families.
The Protestant Reformation had a major influence on education and literacy in England, as it encouraged the reading of the Bible in English ("the vernacular").
In 1562 the Statute of Artificers and Apprentices was passed to regulate and protect the apprenticeship system, forbidding anyone from practising a trade or craft without first serving a 7-year period as an apprentice to a master. Guilds controlled many trades and used apprenticeships to control entry. (In practice sons of Freemen, members of the guilds, could negotiate shorter terms of training).
Following the Act of Uniformity in 1662, religious dissenters set up academies to educate students of dissenting families, who did not wish to subscribe to the articles of the established Church of England. Some of these 'dissenting academies' still survive, the oldest being Bristol Baptist College. Several Oxford colleges (Harris Manchester, Mansfield, and Regent's Park) are also descendants of this movement.
From 1692, 'parish' apprenticeships under the Elizabethan Poor Law came to be used as a way of providing for poor, illegitimate and orphaned children of both sexes alongside the regular system of skilled apprenticeships, which tended to provide for boys from slightly more affluent backgrounds. These parish apprenticeships, which could be created with the assent of two Justices of the Peace, supplied apprentices for occupations of lower status such as farm labouring, brickmaking and menial household service.
Until as late as the nineteenth century, all university fellows and many schoolmasters were expected or required to be in holy orders.
Historian David Mitch argues that private philanthropy was a major source of funding by the 1640s, and in that regard England was distinctive among modern nations. The endowments were permanent, and were still active in the 19th century. In addition to the landed elites in gentry, merchants and clergy were generous in supporting educational philanthropy. The national system that was developed in the last two thirds of the 19th century incorporated the earlier endowments.David Mitch, "Schooling for all via financing by some: perspectives from early modern and Victorian England." Paedagogica Historica 52.4 (2016): 325-
Local Dame schools
Widows typically taught the three Rs (reading, writing and 'rithmetic) in dame schools, charity schools, or informal village schools. Dame schools were small operations for local children age two to five held in a neighbourhood house. They emerged in Britain and its colonies during the early modern period. These schools were taught by a “school dame,” an elderly local woman who would care for and teach ABCs in her home for a small fee. She was probably a widow, usually with cramped facilities.H. C. Barnard, A History of English Education from 1760, (1961), 2–4.John William Adamson, English Education, 1789–1902, (1930), 114–127. J.H. Higginson, "Dame schools." British Journal of Educational Studies 22.2 (1974): 166-181. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00071005.1974.9973404
At dame schools, children could be expected to learn reading and arithmetic, and were sometimes also educated in writing. Girls were often instructed in handiwork such as knitting and sewing.Martin, Christopher. A Short History of English Schools, (East Sussex: Wayland Publishers Ltd, 1979), 5, 8–9. Dame schools lasted from the sixteenth century to about the mid-nineteenth century, when compulsory education was introduced in Britain. Dame schools were the precursors to present-day nursery and primary schools.McCann, Phillip. Popular education and socialization in the nineteenth century, (London: Methuen & Co Ltd, 1977), 29–30. Although sometimes ridiculed, there were many famous alumni, including Samuel Johnson and William Wordsworth for certain, and possibly Charles Dickens. Higginson, 1974, p.166.
18th century In the early years of the Industrial Revolution entrepreneurs began to resist the restrictions of the apprenticeship system, and a legal ruling established that the Statute of Apprentices did not apply to trades that were not in existence when it was passed in 1563, thus excluding many new 18th century industries.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge founded many charity schools for poor students in the 7 to 11 age group. These schools were the basis for the development of modern concepts of primary and secondary education. The Society also was an early provider of teacher education.
Sunday School Movement
Robert Raikes, a newspaper publisher and Anglican layman was one of the early pioneers of the Sunday School Movement. He started in Gloucester in 1780. Believing that vice would be better prevented than cured, he started with a school for boys in the slums. The best available time was Sunday, as the boys were often working in the factories the other six days. He started with teaching children to read the Bible and then having them learn the catechism, reasoning that reading comprehension acquired through Bible study could be transferred to secular studies. Raikes publicised the idea widely and it rapidly caught on. By 1785 upwards of 200,000 English children, and many adults, were attending Sunday Schools. A nondenominational national organisation, the Sunday School Society, was established to coordinate and develop them. According to Sherry Sherrod DuPree, in 1801 there were 2,290 Sunday Schools. With 23,135 in 1851, about two-thirds of all working-class children aged between 5 and 15 were attending them.Sherry Sherrod DuPree, "Sunday Schools," in George Thomas Kurian, ed. The Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization (2011) https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470670606.wbecc1331 Guy Kendall. Robert Raikes; a critical study (1939) pp.161–170. online Keith D. M. Snell, "The Sunday-school movement in England and Wales: Child labour, denominational control and working-class culture." Past & Present 164 (1999): 122–168. online
19th century
The education system reinforced class divisions through separate institutions for different social levels. The wealthy attended public schools and universities, the middle classes had grammar schools and private academies, while the working classes were served by elementary schools focused on basic literacy and moral instruction. This created distinct educational tracks that reflected and perpetuated social hierarchies.Phillip McCann, ed., Popular education and socialization. In the 19th century (1977) pp.67–92, 193–230. Education was an intense religious battleground between Anglicans and Nonconformists, and to a lesser extent the Catholics. This rivalry spurred educational expansion as different groups competed to establish schools.See book review by Ruth Watts, " 'A Victorian Class Conflict?’ School teaching and the Parson, Priest and Minister, 1837–1902, by John T. Smith.” Victorian Studies 53#1 (2010), pp. 29–31. https://doi.org/10.2979/victorianstudies.53.1.129.
Higher education University College London was established as the first secular college in England, open to students of all religions (or none), followed by King's College London; the two institutions formed the University of London. Durham University was also established in the early nineteenth century. Towards the end of the century, the "redbrick" universities, new public universities, were founded. William Hadden Whyte, Redbrick: A social and architectural history of Britain's civic universities (Oxford UP, 2015) excerpt
Women could finally obtain a university degree after the establishment of Lady Margaret Hall (Oxford) Bedford College (London), Girton College (Cambridge) and Somerville College (Oxford) in the 19th century,Deirdre Raftery, "The Opening of Higher Education to Women in Nineteenth Century England: ‘Unexpected Revolution’or Inevitable Change?" Higher Education Quarterly 56.4 (2002): 331-346.
National schools and British Schools
Prior to the nineteenth century, most schools were run by church authorities and stressed religious education.Sir Llewellyn Woodward, The Age of Reform 1815–1870 (2nd edn., 1962) pp 474-501. In the early 19th century the Church of England sponsored most formal education until the government established free, compulsory education towards the end of that century.