When the network of village schools was established across the area in the Victorian period most of the first pupils had never been to school before. A few lucky ones had learned their alphabet perhaps from someone in the family who could read, and some had learned to read at chapel or church Sunday Schools.

Children were divided into Standards or groups according to their abilities not their age.
The lower standards were usually taught by Pupil Teachers who were older pupils training to be teachers themselves and paid a small wage.

A pupil could not leave a Standard and move on to another until he or she had passed tests proving they were ready.

All this activity would be going at at the same time in the same room, as most village schools had just one room for all their teaching.

More about the early schools...