What was school like during the Victorian period? - Info sheet

School life during the Victorian era was notably strict and could be quite daunting for the children attending. Teachers were known for their stern demeanor and were quick to discipline students who stepped out of line, often using a ruler to rap across the knuckles as punishment. The majority of educators were unmarried women, who would typically leave the profession upon marriage. A common route into teaching was for former students to remain at their school and become 'pupil teachers'. Classrooms were designed to minimize distractions, with high windows preventing children from looking outside, and boys and girls were segregated, even having separate entrances to the school.

Class sizes could be extremely large, particularly in urban areas like London, where one class might contain as many as 300 pupils. In contrast, rural schools had smaller classes but a wider age range of students. Victorian education heavily emphasized rote learning, with children often copying from the blackboard and reciting dates, names of monarchs, and multiplication tables. Punishments for misbehavior were harsh, with caning or the use of a leather strap being common. Some schools even subjected slower learners to the humiliation of wearing a dunce's hat and standing in the corner. Left-handed students were forced to write with their right hand, writing was done on slates with chalk, and mathematics was often taught using an abacus, which served as an early form of calculator.