When Queen Victoria
came to the throne in 1837 very few
ordinary working class children went to school. They were usually so poor
that the parents had to send their children to
work to earn some much needed money.
By the end of Queen Victoria's reign a huge network of schools covered
Britain and the law required all children
to attend school. This changed peoples lives in important ways.
The pages below give some background information on how these great changes in education came about.