Figure 1.--
|
Figure 1.-- |
The modern English grammar school has evolved from the grammar schools which begun to appear in the 16th century as England emerged from the Middle Ages. The grammar schools were the first important English schools to adopt humanist education, moving away from a curiculum fully devoted to religion. The term grammr school is confusing to Americans as "grammar school" is commonly used alonmg with "elementary school"to mean primary school. The term in England has a very different meaning. There is also a diiference between the original grammar schools founded in the 16th century and the modern grammar schools in England. The grammar schools, except for the university cities of Oxford and Cambridge, were more the most important school in the city. These were fee paying institutions, primarily for the children of England's middle class. Nobel families did not send their children to these schools, they were tutored at home. Poor families could not afford the fees. Rather merchants and successful artisans sent their sons here to be educated so they could participate in the family business. The grammar schools were called grammar schools, the taught Latin grammar. Latin at the time was the language of educated people and coomunications througout Europe were written in Latin. No man was considered educated without a firm grasp of Latin. Also included in the curriculum was mathamatics and theology. The academic program at the grammar school was demanding. The schools were run by a Master who instructed the older chukdren. The master at a Grammar school also had a usher, often a former student, who instructed the younger children. There were no uniforms required at early grammar schools.
The term grammr school is confusing to Americans as "grammar school" is commonly used alonmg with "elementary school"to mean primary school. The term in England has a very different meaning. There is also a diiference between the original grammar schools founded in the 16th century and the modern grammar schools in England.
England at the beginning of the 16th century was still a small backwater area of England. The population was still small and the economy underdeveloped. England traditionally produced wool and shipped it unfinished to tthe Low Countries and France in what was known as the Medieval Wool Trade. This was beginning to change. The Renaisance had begun to affect England and the economy was emerging from the Feudal system and cities were expanding. Another major development was the Reformation. One aspect of thec Reformation was placing a greater emphasis on individual reading of the Bible and this of course mean that a person must be literate. All of these developmented meant that education was becoming increasingly important. Economic developments meant that there was an expanding need for people with basic with writing and math skills. It is for this reason that many schools were founded in Englnd at this time. Many grammar schools were founded at this time. The Bristol Grammar School was one of them. Several hospital schools were also founded during this period.
The Tudors played a major role in the history of English education, principally through their part in founding grammar schools. The Tudors who were the reighning dynasty at this time played a major role in the founding of these schools. The Bristol Grammar School was one of these schools. It receeived a charter from Henry VIII. Another Tudor, Edward VI, was particularly noted for his role in founding grammar schools.
There were few schools in England at the begiining of the 16th century. Relatively small numbers of children attended any school at all. The children of nobels were tutored at home. Merchants and artisans in the city were able to pay for their children, or more correctly, their sons, to attend school. Poor children learn trades as aprentices. Thus the children who did attend school were the children of the rising middle class who could afford to pay the needed school fees. There were two primay types of schools in the 16th century. The most basic was the Petty school where children were taught to read. The other principal school was the Grammar School where boys were taught Latin.
Petty schools were small schools with tenous funding and a narrow curriculum. The master often had very limited education. Also there might be a girl or two at the petty school, unlike the usually all-boy Grammar school. The school day was often relatively short so the pooer boys might also work.
The English grammar schools were a feature of the Renaissance which had reached England. The Grammar school was the first important English schools to adopt humanist education, moving away from a curiculum fully devoted to religion. The grammar schools, except for the university cities of Oxford and Cambridge, were more the most important school in the city. These were fee paying institutions, primarily for the children of England's middle class. Nobel families did not send their children to these schools, they were tutored at home. Poor families could not afford the fees. Rather merchants and successful artisans sent their sons here to be educated so they could participate in the family business. The grammar schools were called grammar schools, the taught Latin grammar. Latin at the time was the language of educated people and coomunications througout Europe were written in Latin. No man was considered educated without a firm grasp of Latin. Also included in the curriculum was mathamatics and theology. (After the Reformation began, Catholic families stopped sending their children to grammar schools because Protestant (Anglican) theology was taught.) The academic program at the grammar school was demanding. The school day might run from dawn to dusk, often 6:00 AM to 5:00 AM. Early grammar schools were not large even though even important cities only had one such school--an indication of how few children went to school in the 16th century. The schools were run by a Master who instructed the older chukdren. (The term master is still used in England meaning a teacher. It was also the term for a skilled artisan who took in apprentices.) The master at a Grammar school also had a usher, often a former student, who instructed the younger children. There were no uniforms required at early grammar schools.
The hospital schools were in some ways similar to grammar schools. The principal difference was that the boys at hospital schools were poor or even orphaned children that could not afford school fees. They students were not all such children, but a select geoup of clever boys. The curriculum was comparable to that of a grammar school. Another major destinction was that uniforms were requited at hospital schools, in part to set the boys apart and to identify them as recipients of public charity.
England's academically selective secondary-level grammar schools sougth to emulate the ethos of the public schools. While they were not boarding schools, they did try to follow the academic trends and emphasis on sport at the public schools. For the same reason, many grammar schools put considerable emphasis on uniform, but for financial reasons, many of the boys could not afford the rather substntial outlays involved in the miriad of public school uniform items. Grammar school boys in the 1940s and 50s commonly wore
caps and blazers. The younger boys at many grammar schools also wore short trousers. Some schools required it. At other schools it was the parents choice. Some grammar schools, like the Bristol grammar school, decided not to become part of the the state system.
We have some information on early individual grammar schools which still operate in England today.
Related Chronolgy Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[The 16th century]
[The 17th century]
[The 18th century]
[The 19th century]
