It could often be a very tough life for children in Victorian times. Many had to walk for miles to school in all weathers, and the schoolroom was often freezing cold when they got there !
The teacher at Crickhowell British School complained about the small size of the fireplace in the classroom in 1891...

This entry from the school Log Book reads -
18th February - "The weather is very severe again today. Marked [register] at 9.15 am. The firegrates are too small to allow all children to sit around the fires. Consequently it is almost impossible for the children to keep themselves warm. Marked Registers again at 11.20 am. Dismissed for the Day at 1.30 pm".

In December 1898 the teacher at Llanbedr National School wrote "Only 14 came this morning, and it was thought advisable not to keep school, but let them go home and keep themselves warm".
There are also many examples of teachers having no coal or wood for the stoves or fires, so children sometimes had to wear as many clothes inside the school as out !

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