Charity school
Encyclopedia
History of education in England
The history of education in England can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon settlement of England, or even back to the Roman occupation. During the Middle Ages schools were established to teach Latin grammar, while apprenticeship was the main way to enter practical occupations. Two universities were...
. They were erected and maintained in various parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es, by the voluntary contributions of the inhabitants, for teaching poor children to read, write, and other necessary parts of education. They were usually maintained by religious organisations, which provided clothing and education to students freely or at little charge. In most charity schools, children were likewise put out to trades, services, etc, on the same charitable foundation. Some schools were more ambitious than this, and sent a few pupils on to university, as depicted in the illustration.
Charity schools began in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and spread throughout most of the urban areas in England and Wales. By 1710, the account of the charity schools in and around London stood thus: number of schools, 88; boys taught, 2181; girls, 1221; boys put out to apprentices, 967; girls, 407. By the 19th century, English elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
s were predominantly charity schools.
Blue coat schools in order of foundation
- Christ's HospitalChrist's HospitalChrist's Hospital is an English coeducational independent day and boarding school with Royal Charter located in the Sussex countryside just south of Horsham in Horsham District, West Sussex, England...
, Horsham, an independent boarding school founded in 1552. The first, greatest and oldest surviving Bluecoat school. - Blue Coat Boys' School, founded in 1574 and housed in the Poor Priest's Hospital in CanterburyCanterburyCanterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
, which later became Simon Langton Grammar School for BoysSimon Langton Grammar School for BoysSimon Langton Grammar School for Boys is a selective boys school of over 1000 pupils and staff, located in the outskirts of Canterbury, Kent. It holds both Foundation and Grammar school status and has 'specialist college' status in science....
and Simon Langton Girl's Grammar School - Queen Elizabeth's HospitalQueen Elizabeth's HospitalQueen Elizabeth's Hospital is an independent school for boys in Clifton, Bristol, England founded in 1586. Stephen Holliday has served as Headmaster since 2000, having succeeded Dr Richard Gliddon...
, Clifton, Bristol, also known as The City School, founded in 1586. - Reading Blue Coat SchoolReading Blue Coat SchoolReading Blue Coat School is a boys' independent school in Holme Park in the village of Sonning, in the English county of Berkshire, to the east of the town of Reading...
, a secondary school founded in 1646. - Old Swinford HospitalOld Swinford HospitalOld Swinford Hospital is a selective voluntary aided boys' boarding school in Oldswinford, Stourbridge, West Midlands, England that has been in continuous operation since the 17th century.- History :Old Swinford Hospital opened in the late summer of 1667...
, at StourbridgeStourbridgeStourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley The...
founded in 1667. - The King's HospitalThe King's HospitalThe King's Hospital is a Church of Ireland co-educational fee-paying boarding and day school situated in Palmerstown, Dublin, Ireland.Founded in 1669, it is one of the oldest schools in Ireland and was also known as the Blue Coat School....
or Blue Coat School, Dublin, an IrishIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
school founded in 1669. - Greenwich Blue Coat Girls' SchoolGreenwich Blue Coat Girls' SchoolBlackheath Bluecoat Church of England School is a secondary school in Blackheath, London.-History:The Greenwich Blue Coat Girls' School was founded in 1700 by "several charitable ladies of this town". It is also mentioned by Dorothy George in her book about London life in the 18th Century...
, a girls' charity school founded in 1700. - St Mary's School, Banbury, a primary school founded as Bluecoat School in 1705.
- York Bluecoat SchoolYork Bluecoat SchoolThe York Bluecoat School in York, England, was founded in 1705 as a charity school for forty poor boys.The school was founded by York Corporation, who initially provided and furnished a medieval guild hall, St Anthony's Hall, Peasholme Green, for use as the school building. The blue coats worn by...
, founded in 1705 - Nottingham Bluecoat School, a church school founded in 1706.
- Liverpool Blue Coat SchoolLiverpool Blue Coat SchoolThe Liverpool Blue Coat School is a voluntary aided secondary school located in Wavertree, Liverpool and is Liverpool's only Grammar School. The school was for many years a boys' school but as of September 2002 it has reverted to its original coeducational remit.The Blue Coat School holds a...
, a grammar school founded in 1708. - Nantwich Blue Cap SchoolNantwich Grammar SchoolNantwich Grammar School, later known as Nantwich and Acton Grammar School, is a former grammar school for boys in Nantwich, Cheshire, England. It now forms part of the mixed comprehensive school, Malbank School and Sixth Form College....
, founded before 1712. - Tenison's School in Croydon, founded 1714.
- Coventry Blue Coat Church of England SchoolCoventry Blue Coat Church of England SchoolThe Coventry Blue Coat Church of England School and Music College is a comprehensive school in Coventry, England located in the Lower Stoke area of the city. It is a Cross Of Nails school, with links to a school in Bethlehem...
, a comprehensive school founded in 1714. - Birmingham Blue Coat SchoolBirmingham Blue Coat SchoolThe Blue Coat School is a preparatory school in Birmingham, England for children aged two to 11. The school was founded in 1722. In 1930, it moved from the northeast corner of St. Philip's Square to its current location on Somerset Road, on the border between Edgbaston and Harborne. It has 15 acres...
, an independent junior prep school founded in 1722. - Bluecoat Primary School & Nursery, in Stamford, LincolnshireStamford, LincolnshireStamford is a town and civil parish within the South Kesteven district of the county of Lincolnshire, England. It is approximately to the north of London, on the east side of the A1 road to York and Edinburgh and on the River Welland...
, established in the 18th century. - The Blue Coat School, OldhamThe Blue Coat School, OldhamThe Blue Coat School is a mixed gender Church of England Academy for 11–18 year olds, located in the town of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England....
, a school established in 1834. - The Blue Coat School, DudleyThe Blue Coat School, DudleyThe Blue Coat School was a mixed secondary school located in Dudley, England. It was opened in 1869 within buildings in Bean Road, several hundred yards east of Dudley town centre...
, a school opened in 1869 and closed in 1989. - Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat SchoolBishop of Hereford's Bluecoat SchoolThe Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School is a mixed comprehensive secondary school in the Tupsley district of Hereford, England. It is a voluntary aided school, which takes children from the age of 11 through to the age of 16. It is a Church of England school and is administered by the Hereford...
, a school founded in 1973. - Pilton Bluecoat CofE Primary School, a junior school in Devon.
See also
- Blue coat school (disambiguation)
- Ragged schoolRagged schoolRagged Schools were charitable schools dedicated to the free education of destitute children in 19th century England. The schools were developed in working class districts of the rapidly expanding industrial towns...
- History of education in EnglandHistory of education in EnglandThe history of education in England can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon settlement of England, or even back to the Roman occupation. During the Middle Ages schools were established to teach Latin grammar, while apprenticeship was the main way to enter practical occupations. Two universities were...