There were some occasions when the local schools had, for a change, almost all the children turning up. Usually this was because of a special treat such as a party paid for by the local gentry from the 'Big House'.
Christmas was usually a good time for children to make the effort to go to school in the hope of getting sweets and presents !
This comes from the Llanidloes National School diary for the week before Christmas, 1882 ...

It is not surprising that the children would be keen to go to school if there was a chance of getting treats from some of the wealthier people of this district.
Many families would have had little money to spare for Christmas presents for their children, and very often children were away from school helping with jobs to support the family.

But sometimes the money given to children for their school fees was spent on something else, as you can see on the next page ...

Another treat for the local children...