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England lagged behind America and German in building a free public (state) school system. One historian asserts
that it was the Empire that discouraged the development of a strong national education system in Britain, leading elites
to feel that is was not needed. "The British it seems have always done it differently .... ... the economic and imperial dominance which Britain achieve in the nineteenth century directly mitigated against the development of a coherent national system. Not only was a systematic approach to education regarded as unnecessary, but it was seen as likely to inhibit individual endeavour and damage the voluntarist principle which enabled innovatory industrialists and
entrepreneurs to thrive." [Vlaeminke, p. 2.] Major steps were made in the 1890s that finally committed Britain to
creating a quality state public school system.
Parliament raised the school-leaving age to 11 years of age (1893). Parliament also provided for the education of blind and deaf children for the first yimer. The school-leaving age was increased agin to 12 years (1899).
It is not entirely clear what prompted these steps. Rising demands from
the working class were a factor. Another factor was the inescapable rise of America and Germany, countries with fine
public education systems. And it is in the 1890s, in large part because of Kaiser Wilhelm II that the British began to
become concern about the rise of an increasingly strong and aggressive Germany. And it should also be noted that the
British were not sure how to assess the rise of America, either to see it as a dangerous rival or a potentially ally.
Eventually the Germans would decide that issue. The connection between education and national success was no longer
possible to ignore by any disinterested observer. Britain by 1890 had implemented the reforms sketched out in the
1864 Reform Act. And was on its ways to creating a quality state system, but still lagged behind America and Germany.
The ideas of free public eduction was fully established by 1890, but still not available to many children who were
leaving school after only a few years. Important new reforms were passed by Parliament leading toward the creation of
the modern British education system, both Elementary Education Act (1891) which increased funding and the Board of
Education Act (1899) which created local involvement and regularize supervision and controls. Essentially end of the
decade, England had finally created a national education system, although limited to primary schools. And as one
education historian notes that it was 'still largely confined to the provision of a minimum standard'. [Williams, p.
137.] Especially important we see the school leaving age being raised to levels similar to America and Germany.
Vlaeminke, Meriel. The English Higher Grade Schools: A Lost Opportunity (Woburn Press: Abingdon, 2000).
Williams. R. The Long Revolution (London: Chatto and Windus, 1961).
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