*
English school types 20th century chronology private schools
English School 20th Century Chronology: School Types-Private Schools
Figure 1.-- Here we see a class portraot at an unidentified prep school in or near Pudsey. This is a market town in West Yorkshire, now part of Leeds. The boys look to be about b9 years old. The boys wore variously style suits, all with the school cap, Eton collar, and knickers. The cabinet card is not dated, but we would guess that it was taken during the 1900s. The phitographer was W.M. Spencer in Pudsey. Put your cursor on the image to see the rest of the class. Fir a clpser view of the garments, clck here.
The public or elite private boarding schools were the first modern schools to have uniforms. The elite schools were boarding schools, but there were also day schools. Some date back several centuries. Private schools included both preparatory schools for the younger children and public (elite private boarding) schools for the older boys. The private schools tended to put a greater emphasis on uniforms than the state schools. The grammar schools which were a kind of private-state mix being something of an exception. Grammar schools at mid-century had the choice of being part of the state system or becoming private schools. The other major component ofv the ptivate system was the preparatory or prep schools. They are different than American prep schools which are secondary schools. The English prep schools are more like primary schools, although thevagevrange generally goes up to 12-13 years for the boys. Girls generally transfered to their senior schools a couple years earlier. The prep schools are a much more recent phemonenon than the public schools which atvfirst mixedvboys ofva wode agevrange. They proved to be rather rough even dangerous places. Given a tradition of self goverment, these schools could actually be dangerous for the younger boys. As a result in the mid-19th century as more modern humanitarian concerns about protecting children, it was realized that younger boys should be cared for separately in schools geared for their needs. By the turn-of-the 20th century, this tradition was well established. The schools adopted many of the traditions of the public schools which inclided boarding, games (sports), uniforms, and others.
Private schools declined as a result of the economic problens following World War II. Many private schools were lost as a result of the economic problems of the 1970s. The character also changes with many prep schools going coed. This was friven by both popilar attitudes and economics. Many parents were also concerned about boarding younger children. The sector in the late-20th century benefitted by continuiun bconcers wihb the state sector, especially discipline standards. Mothers were concerned about boarding and as a result most of these schools put more mpahsize on the day non-boarding group.
