How many shillings in a pound? Slates ready? Dictation will begin. Unrecognisable to kids and teachers in the twenty-first century, however the Ragged Schools were life changing for poor children during the nineteenth century.
Education prior to this time was only for the children of the wealthy. Poor children worked. Realising the value of education, well intentioned law makers made education compulsory. What they didn't do was make it free. Hence for the very poor this simply meant they would now break the law. Early philanthropists promoted and funded the idea of free education for these children. The Ragged Schools as they became known had grown to 200 by 1844.
Dr Barnado was one of the early philanthropists to offer free schooling to these children who not only couldn't afford the school fees but also couldn't afford to dress to the standard required by the schools. His first school opened in 1867, in an old abandoned warehouse in one of the poorest parts of London, Tower Hamlets. He recruited children promising the not only free education but a hot meal and warm premises. This later extended to homes for children and continues to this day.
The Ragged School Museum offers a glimpse into schooling of the period. You can even partake in a mock Victorian lesson.
