Vickipedia

PRIVY-COUNCIL (COMMITTEE OF) ON EDUCATION. Till within the last forty years, primary education in England was left in the hands of individuals and societies. The only societies of importance which endeavored to overtake the enormous educational destitution which prevailed, were the British and Foreign School Society, founded under the patronage of George III.; and the National Society, of more recent date- The first-mentioned Society endeavored to get rid of all religious difficulties by avoiding the use of catechisms in the school, and confining themselves to the use of the Bible alone. The Church party, however, felt that in accepting for the children of the country a religious training so vague, they were untrue to their principles, and would probably fail to secure for the young any efficient religious instruction at all. Accordingly, the National Society was set on foot as a specially Church Institution. The object of both these societies was, by means of contributions collected from benevolent persons, to aid in the foundation and maintenance of elementary schools throughout England and Wales.

The prevailing destitution was, however, too widespread to be met by voluntary associations, and it consequently became necessary that the State should take some share in the education of the people. Parliamentary grants of small amount were made, which were distributed by the Treasury under regulations issued .u 1833, the chief of which was as follows : ‘ That no application be entertained by the Treasury unless a sum be raised by private contribution equal, at least, to one-half of the total estimated expenditure.’ These grants were for the purpose of erecting school-buildings. In 1839, after considerable opposition, it was resolved to increase the parliamentary grant, and to appoint a Committee of Her Majesty’s Privy-council to administer it.

On the 3d June 1839, an order of Council laid down, that the grants of previous years not yet appropriated, as well as the grant for the current year, should be expended for the erection of schools, and that �10,000 voted for Normal Schools in 1835 should be given in equal proportions to the British and Foreign and the National Societies. The Privy-council Committee did not at first contemplate aiding any schools but those in connection with the two Societies which we have just named; but in September of 1839, they resolved to aid other schools, where special circumstances prevented their affiliation to the Societies. In the course of a year or two it came practically to this, that all schools were aided in which the Bible was daily read from the authorized version.

The various religious denominations, under the influence, partly, of the strong pecuniary inducement held out by the Committee of Council, now began to exert themselves to erect schools, and to claim state aid. The Committee of Council, seeing the large probable increase in the number of schools requiring to be maintained partially out of the state funds, had their attention specially ‘ directed to the principles of their administration, and the conditions on which alone aid was to be granted. The first measure of importance was the appointment of inspectors of schools. These were appointed by Her Majesty; but the Church of England was permitted to exercise a veto on those nominated for the inspection of Church schools, and the dissenting education committees were allowed a similar privilege with reference to those nominated for dissenting schools. No school was to be admitted to government aid in any form which did not declare its willingness to submit to inspection. The next measure of importance was the determining of the conditions on which aid should be given, first, for the erection, and secondly, for the maintenance of schools.- Grants for the former purpose were given in proportion to the number of children to be educated and the amount of money raised by private contribution.

In 1846, the first step seems to have been made towards making grants for the maintenance of schools. It was resolved to apprentice promising boys and girls, the young persons (who were to be at least thirteen years of age on appointment) giving assistance in the school-work, and receiving separate instruction for one hour and a half daily from the principal teacher.

They were paid salaries rising from �10 by annual increments of �2, 10$. to �20. The teacher received a small extra payment for giving this instruction. The subjects were defined in a broadsheet prepared by the Department, and embraced Euclid, algebra, and the common subjects taught in schools. The apprenticeship was intended to be five years in length; but, in cases of exceptional ability, the period was considerably shortened. These young people were called ‘pupil-teachers.’

In contemplation of the close of the apprenticeship of pupil-teachers, it was further resolved to grant them a scholarship or bursary, to enable them to pursue their studies at one of the numerous male and female normal schools which had come into existence; and at the conclusion of their training, to allow a grant of money to the normal school to which they had resorted. �The Queen’s Scholarship, as the bursary was called, was fixed at �25 for a first class, and �20 for a second, was tenable for two years; and the grants to the normal school at �20, �25. and �30, according as they had trained the student for one, two, or three years� two-thirds of these sums being allowed in the case of female students. It was further necessary to contemplate the completion | of the normal-school training, and to endeavor to secure for the public service the well-trained teachers who had been educated at the public expense. Accordingly, it was resolved to grant to teachers sums ranging from �15 to�30 per annum (and two-thirds of these sums in the case of females), provided the school-buildings in which they taught, and the character of their teaching, were satisfactory to Her Majesty’s inspectors.

A condition, afterwards added, was, that the teacher should receive from local sources, including school-fees, not less than twice the amount paid by government, of which one-half should be from voluntary subscriptions. The amount which the teacher might claim, besides being payable only on the conditions stated above, was made partially dependent on the grade of certificate obtained at the normal school. Certificates are also granted on conditions specified in the Code which is issued annually by the Department.

What is known as ‘ The New Code’ was introduced by Mr. Robert Lowe in 1862. It has undergone alterations every year;