OCR Specification focus:
‘education and young people: the Acts of 1902, 1906 and 1918, school measures, the Children’s Charter’
The early twentieth century marked a turning point in Britain’s approach to education and child welfare, as governments sought to address inequality and prepare for modern national needs.
The 1902 Education Act (Balfour Act)
Context and Purpose
The Education Act of 1902, also known as the Balfour Act, represented a major restructuring of Britain’s educational system. It was introduced under Arthur Balfour’s Conservative government with the intention of improving efficiency and extending access.
Key Features
School Boards abolished and replaced by Local Education Authorities (LEAs), usually county and borough councils.
LEAs given responsibility for both elementary and secondary education, allowing a more unified system.
Funding extended to include church (voluntary) schools, particularly Anglican and Catholic institutions, which had struggled financially.
Creation of state-supported secondary schools, broadening access beyond the privileged few.
Consequences
This Act brought education under more centralised and professional management. However, it caused controversy:
Nonconformists objected to public funds supporting religious schools.
Strengthened the link between local government and education, paving the way for later welfare reforms.
Local Education Authority (LEA): Administrative body set up under the 1902 Act to oversee and fund education at local level, replacing elected school boards.
The Act therefore laid the foundations for modern secondary education, though debates about religion and control persisted.
The 1906 Provision of School Meals Act
Motivation
The new Liberal government of 1906 faced growing concerns about child poverty, highlighted by social investigators such as Charles Booth and Seebohm Rowntree. Malnourished children were seen as unfit for education and future national service.
Provisions
Local authorities were permitted (but not compelled) to provide free school meals for needy children.
Costs could be covered by rates (local taxes), but not all councils implemented the measure immediately.
Importance
Marked the start of a wider social welfare role for education authorities.
Reflected the government’s commitment to New Liberalism, which emphasised state intervention to combat poverty.
Set a precedent for later compulsory welfare provisions.
The 1907 Education (Administrative Provisions) Act
School Medical Inspections
The Act introduced compulsory medical inspections in schools, the first systematic attempt to monitor child health through the education system.
Key Elements
Doctors and nurses inspected children annually.
Findings revealed widespread malnutrition, disease, and neglect.
However, treatment was not initially provided—only diagnosis.
This Act highlighted the interconnection between education and health, strengthening arguments for state responsibility in welfare.
The 1918 Education Act (Fisher Act)
Background
The First World War exposed deficiencies in Britain’s population, with many recruits deemed physically unfit. The demand for a better-educated, healthier workforce underpinned the Education Act of 1918, introduced by H.A.L. Fisher.
Provisions
Raised the school-leaving age to 14.
Planned continuation schools for part-time education up to 18 (though financial constraints limited their implementation).
Extended LEA powers, requiring them to provide medical treatment as well as inspections.
Abolished all fees in elementary schools, making primary education effectively free.
Impact
Reinforced the principle of universal access to education.
Advanced the idea of education as a tool for national efficiency.
Implementation was uneven due to post-war economic difficulties, but the Act symbolised a shift towards greater state commitment.
Continuation School: A part-time school for young people beyond the age of 14, designed to extend education while they worked.
Although not fully realised, the Fisher Act was a landmark in embedding the expectation of free, compulsory education.
The Children’s Charter 1908
Origins
The Children’s Act of 1908, commonly referred to as the Children’s Charter, consolidated and extended protections for children.
Image: insert image from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Children_Act_1908_(UKPGA_Edw7-8-67).pdf
Identification: Title page of the Children Act 1908. Monochrome printed statute with royal arms, reading “Children Act, 1908”. Located on the first page of the PDF and visible as the first preview image on the Wikimedia file page.
Caption: Title page of the Children Act 1908, also known as the Children’s Charter. It consolidated protections for children and young persons, establishing the framework for juvenile courts and restrictions on child labour.
Key Features
Established juvenile courts and borstals (special institutions for young offenders) to keep children separate from adult criminals.
Made child neglect and cruelty by parents a punishable offence.
Restricted children’s working hours, tightening rules on child labour.
Forbade children under 16 from buying cigarettes and entering public houses.
Significance
The Charter marked the state’s recognition of children as a distinct group requiring special legal protection. It also integrated welfare and education measures, acknowledging that social conditions outside school affected educational outcomes.
Wider Impact on Society
Changing Role of the State
The Acts between 1902 and 1918, together with the 1908 Charter, demonstrated an expanding role of government in welfare and education.
Education became linked to national efficiency, with schools viewed as vital for economic competitiveness and military strength.
Shifting Attitudes to Childhood
The legislation reflected a new understanding of childhood as a protected stage of life, distinct from adulthood.
Schools became not just places of learning but centres of health, welfare, and moral guidance.
Integration with Other Reforms
These measures fitted within the wider context of New Liberalism and the early welfare state, alongside pensions and national insurance. Education policy thus served both social justice and national interest.
FAQ
Nonconformists objected because the Act channelled public funds into denominational schools, particularly Anglican and Catholic institutions.
They argued that taxpayers should not be forced to support religious instruction they disagreed with. This sparked the “Passive Resistance” movement, where some refused to pay education rates.
Both highlighted how poverty limited children’s opportunities. Rowntree found that 30% of York’s population lived below a poverty line.
Their findings showed that malnourished children could not benefit fully from schooling. This evidence helped justify state-funded meals to ensure education was meaningful.
Medical inspections revealed widespread issues such as rickets, poor eyesight, and malnutrition.
These findings shocked the public and policymakers.
They demonstrated that poor health hindered both education and productivity.
The evidence later supported moves toward providing free treatment, not just diagnosis, under the 1918 Education Act.
Post-war economic strain limited government spending. Promised continuation schools for older children were postponed indefinitely.
Local authorities struggled with costs, and political priorities shifted towards debt repayment. While the principle of free education was enshrined, austerity meant provisions were scaled back.
Before 1908, children were often tried in adult courts and imprisoned alongside adults.
The Charter introduced:
Separate juvenile courts for under-16s.
Borstals, designed for rehabilitation rather than punishment.
Greater emphasis on welfare, recognising young offenders as needing guidance, not only discipline.
Practice Questions
Question 1 (2 marks)
In which year was the Education (Provision of Meals) Act passed, and what did it allow local authorities to do?
Mark Scheme
1 mark for the correct year: 1906.
1 mark for stating that it allowed local authorities to provide free school meals for needy children.
Question 2 (6 marks)
Explain how the Children’s Act of 1908, often called the Children’s Charter, reflected changing attitudes to childhood in early twentieth-century Britain.
Mark Scheme
Award up to 6 marks. Responses should show knowledge and understanding, supported by accurate factual detail.
1–2 marks: Basic awareness of the Act, e.g. recognition that it was aimed at child protection, but limited explanation of how this reflected changing attitudes.
3–4 marks: Clear description of at least two provisions (e.g. juvenile courts, borstals, restrictions on child labour, prevention of cruelty). Some linkage made to the idea of childhood as a protected stage.
5–6 marks: Detailed explanation with multiple accurate provisions and direct linkage to the concept of changing attitudes, such as the recognition of children as distinct from adults, requiring separate legal protections and welfare support. Answers show a clear understanding of how the Act reflected broader social reform and concern for child welfare.
