How did the Industrial Revolution affect education?
From Xanthea Sagsago
Public education became accesible to the poor masses…
- “ In 1833, the government passed the Factory Act making two hours of education a day compulsory for children working in factories. The government also granted money to charities for schools for the first time.
- In 1844, the Ragged Schools Union was set up to give schooling to very poor children.
- The Public Schools Act (1868) reformed Britain's public schools, such as Eton and Harrow.
- In 1870, Forster's Act set up state-funded board schools for primary education.
- In 1880, the Education Act made school attendance compulsory for children up to the age of 10.
- The 1902 Education Act established a system of secondary schools.
The Industrial Revolution : Revision, Page 5
Of course, this was just the beginning of public education so…
- Corporal punishment was the norm and encouraged. Cruel and unusual methods of discipline included the strap, kneeling, being written up on the “punishment book” (the precursor to today’s permanent record), being made to sit in a basket hanging from the ceiling, etc.

- Pedagogy was rote. Lessons generally consisted of the teacher yelling things to be repeated by the class. One doctor had so many teachers complaining of sore throats he called it, ‘Board School Laryngitis’!

2. Women were granted opportunities for study, however education back then was still segragated and based on enfored gender roles. Girls’ lessons included housewifery, needlework, and cookery.
3. Trainee teachers began to emerge. Some did so by working in thr classroom with an older teacher, whereas others went to college. Training started at age 14, and most likely served as a prototype for the modern practicum/ pre-service teacher training done today. Of course, trainee teachers at college had a strict set of rules to abide by. One such example is this list of “don’ts” at a men’s college. Trainees could…

Basically, the Industrial Revolution introduced a prototype for the modern educational system we have today. In spite of its numerous problems, it was based on the idea that education was not something that only the elite or nobility were allowed to enjoy. To quote the 1870 Educational Bill…
..to bring education within the reach of every English home, aye, and within the reach of those children who have no homes.
Other Sources:
- Terry Deary’s “Horrible Histories: Vile Victorians.”