At the start of the 19 th century very few children went to school.Most of the poor children had to work and if they went to school,their families lost the money they earned. Also there were some good school's,for example,grammar schools which started in the middle ages and public schools which was only for children from richer families. Only richer families could afford to pay the school fees,although some schools gave free places to poor boys.Girls did not have to go to school.Some of the girls were taught at home,most of the girls had little education.

The building could be a quite dull place.The rooms were warmed by single stoves or open fire.Walls of Victorian classrooms were bare,except for stitched text. Curtains were used to apart classrooms.The shouting of several classrooms annoyed the children and teachers as they were taught side to side. Inside the classrooms there were just a little bit of fresh air because the windows were built high in the walls,to stop pupils looking outside and being distracted from their work. Most of the schools were built in the Victorian time, between 1837 and 1901.In the country you would see barns being changed into classrooms.More and more children began to attend school.The managers did not like to spend money,so they allowed the school to rot and broken equipment was not replaced.

Punishment was not only caning. Students had to stand on a stool at the back of the class, wearing an arm band with dunce written on it. The teacher then took a tall, cone-shaped hat that had a large D on it and placed it on the boys head. Victorian teachers believed that all children could learn at the same speed, and if some students fell behind then they should be punished for not trying hard enough.

Victorian children learned to write on slates, they scratched letters on them with sharp pieces of slate. Paper was expensive in Victorian times, but slates could be used again and again. Children were supposed to bring sponges to clean them. Most of the children just spat on the slates, and rubbed them clean with their sleeves. Older children learned to use pen and ink by writing in copybooks. Each morning the ink monitor filled up little ink pots and handed them around from tray. Pens were fitted with leaking nibs, and children were punished for spilling ink which spoiled their copybooks.

Teachers gave students regular canings. If you look inside the punishment book that every school kept you will see many reasons for the beatings such as being rude, leaving the playground without permission, sulkiness, answering back, missing Sunday prayers, throwing ink balls and being late. Boys were caned across their bottoms, and girls across their hands or bare legs. Some teachers broke canes with their fury. Students had to chose which cane they wished to be beaten with.

ERY INTELLEGINT CHILDREN HILDREN ARE CANED AUGHT FOR MONEY ESPONSIBLETIES BACUS THEY USED FOR THEIR MATHS EVER ALLOWED TO MISS THEIR SUNDAY PRAYER. TOOD IN A CORNER WITH A DUNCES CAP RRESPONSIBLE THEY ARE NOT. LDER CHILDREN USED COPYBOOKS N LESSONS THE CHILDREN CONCETREATED ON THE 3 R’S.