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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, rapidly became the most important schools in the country. These were fee paying institutions, primarily for the children of England's middle class. They were only for boys. Nothing in writing wa necessary to exclkude girls. For the most prt parents did not think tht gir;s we educatable nor did parents wat them outside the home for extended periods. 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 because they 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 English grammar schools were a feature of the Renaissance which had reached England. The Renaissabnce began in Italky (13th century) and gradually soread north. It was a major influence leing R=Europe out of the medieval feudal era. 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, became the most important schools in the country.
The Tudors were the royal dynasty ruling England as the Renaissance began to reach Englnd. The Tudors seized the thrine, ebdung the War of the Roses (1455-87). They were one of the most successful dynasties and oversaw England's emergence as an importanbt European power. The Royal Navy has its origins during the Tudor period. And it was during the Tudor period that modern English literature begins. Shakepeare began writing during the Tudior era, although most od his wirk occurred after the death of Elizabeth. The Tudor era began with King Henry VII and ended with Elizabrth I because she left no heir. The Tudors were notable for carefully managing Parliament a skill in which their successors, the Stewarts totally failed with dusaterous consequences for the dynasty. One of the many developments during the Tudor era was the rise of the grammar school. Some were even founded by royal charter. As aeult the grammsar schgools are often referred to as Tudor schools.
During medieval period, many schools were cattached to monasteries ad run by the monks there. The curriculum was as a resulted focused heaviky, but not exclusively on religion. King Henry VIII inadvertently launched the reformatiuon in England, although he was no Protestant. He wanted to seize control of the Church of England (COE) from the Pope o he could divore Queen Cathetine. There was resistance from the COE establishment, especially the monastaries. After a millenia, much of the wealth of England was locked up on the monastaries. Henry decided to destroy resistance within the Church to break up the monastaries. The land woukd be divided up among his loyal followers. It ws a deft political move. Thgere were as is often the case, unintended consequenmces. s the monastaries had schools attached, Henry in destoying the monastaries also destroyed much of the kingdom's school system. England needed educated people. Henry needed educated people to run his royal government. And with citie and coimmerce growing, the english economy needed educated people in larger numbers that the medieval economy. So schools were needed to replace the monastaery schools. The result ws new grammar schools, often called Tudor schools. And many were founded by royal charters. This is why today there are several scholls wihich are name Kingg and Queen schiools.
Tudor girls would not have attended school or received any formal type of education. Children between the ages of 4 and 7 years of age might attend petty or dame schools. Many towns and villages had a parish school where the local vicar taught mostly boys to read and write. Boys with academic talent andcwhose parents coukd aford the fees might go on to the grammar schools. The school day at the petty schools were shorter that at the grammar schools.
The early grammar schools were fee paying institutions, primarily for the children of England's middle class. There was often community support. And wealthy individuals might make bequests to help found aschool ot support schools already founded. Henry VIII's son Edward, unlike his father, was a Protestant. It is during his reign that England shufted from Catholcism to Protestantism. A shift that Queen Mary wa unable to undo. Edward was especially interested in education.
And during Edward VI's reign, many free grammar schools were founded to take in non-fee paying students. Some were named in honor of the King.
Education at the tome wa highly gender specific. Boys were educated for their future work abnd cthis necesitated academic studies and schooling. Girls were educatedf for marriage and running a household and this did not require academic classroom studies. The early grammar schgools were only for boys. Nothing in writing was necessary to exclkude girls. For the most prt parents did not think tht girls were educatable, al least in seious academic terms. Protestant families wanted girls to learn to read so they could read the Bilble and teach their children to read. The Angligan Church of England was a kind of compromise between Protestantism and Catholocism and over time osscilated between the two Christian poles. One Protestant tennant appears to be literact, including literacy for girls. This had enormous consequences both fior England and its colonies implanted in North America. Beyond basic literacy, however, there was little interest in educating girls. Nor did parents want them outside the home for extended periods. The education of Tudor girls was done at home. Girls might attend damne schools, but this woukd be the end of their academic careers. At home their education were of a non-academic nature and both the subjects and their lessons were of a purely practical nature. There wee exceptions, especially in the case of wealkthy families. The girls might be taught along with their brothers. And some fatgers saw that thsir daughters had real academic ability.
The students at ther grmmsr school were vmostly boys 7-14 years of age.
One source reports that "Tudor Schools Tudor Schools was were available to boys of the Upper and Middle Classes." This is not actually true. The upper class in the 16th century wa to a large extent the aristocracy. And nobelas well as very families did not send their children to these schools. These children were taught at home. Tutors were hored to teach them. Poor chikldren also did not attend these schools. They could not afford the fees nor did parents commonly have educatinal aspirations for their children. It was the rising middlke class that sent their sons to the new cgrammar schools. Merchants and successful artisans in the cities sent their sons here to be educated so they could participate in the family business. This of course affected the curriculum. Middle-class parents who paid the fees did not want a purely religious education. They wanted sons who were noth literate and skilled in sums (mathematics).
The grammar schools were called grammar schools because they 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. The more advanced students might study Greek. Also included in the curriculum was mathamatics.
While religion did not dominate the curriculum, theology was still an important part of it. The catechism was the principlal method of teaching theology. Students were expected to learn by heart certain passages from the catechism which related to being a 'good Christian'. The curriculum was in part determined by the the ruling monarch. Any the different Tudor monachs beginning with Henry VIII took a special intetrest in religion. The threology of monrchy had a significant effect on religious studies. The Tudor monarchs careered between Catholic and Protestant theology. Quite a number of individuals as a result losdt thrir heads or were burned at the stake a a resulkt of these ossilations. And the theology taught a the Tudor grammar schools followed these osscilations. Another consequence is that after the Reformation began, Catholic families stopped sending their children to the Tudor grammar schools because Protestant (Anglican) theology was taught.
The academic program at the grammar school was demanding and the teachers very strict. The school day was long, running from dawn to dusk. School life was very strict. Withoou electricity, the school day was affected by the seasons. Note that England is located at a very notyhern lattitude, notyh ogf the United States and comparabkle to that of Canada. Thus the hours of daylight are highly seasonal. During summer months, the school day might start at 6:00 in the morning and finish at 5:00 in the afternoon. There would be a 2 hour break at midday for lunch. School hours changed during the winter months as there were fewer hours of daylight. School might start at about 7:00 in the morning and finish at 4:00 in the afternoon before it got dark. The school day was six days a week, five full days and a half day on Thursday. The school year was 40-44 weeks with a summer vacation. This computes to about 2,000 hours of classroom instyruction. That is about double the classroom time of modern English and American schools. The boys would practice writing by copying the alphabet and notable pieces. The Lord's Prayer was commonly used. Printed books at the time existed, but were still very expensive. the time were very expensive. The students commonly read from from hornbooks. These were wooden boards that had the alphabet, prayers or other important writings pinned to them and were then covered with a thin layer of transparent cow's horn for protection. Classes were mostly conducted in Latin, not English. The students were required to converse in Latin, even when speaking to each other. Students who spoke in English would be punished and some of these punishments including corporal punishment using canes and birches were quite severe. Of course this mirrored discipline methods at home. Some boys were afraid to go to school because of the beatings.
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.
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