The Education of the Poor: The History of the National School 1824-1974

Originally published 1974. Thousands of elementary schools for the children of the poor were founded during the nineteenth century, yet there is scarcely a published history of a single one of them. This volume is precisely such a history and the authors trace its story against the background of local and national change in education and society.

On the basis of a unique collection of records the authors have pieced together a picture of the social composition of the school, its curriculum ...