Starting, and completing, school is a nerve racking experience at the best times. You are suddenly taken away from a life of leisurely play to having to learn things and wear a uniform. It’s a culture shock that some never quite get used to nor do they make the most of. We now use technology and have a greater depth of understanding of children’s minds so that they get the best out of school and the experience of education as a whole. Websites for schools, like those from www.fsedesign.co.uk/websites-for-schools/ for example, are a great indicator of how far we have come. Go back in time and you will find that the children of the past were not so lucky.
Schools primary function was to make sure that the children were equipped for a working role. Education was by example and apprenticeship. The only children that had an education were the sons of the landed gentry. As the roles of work in society became more difficult and complex due to industrialisation, employers needed the population to be better educated to understand the machines and systems they were required to use.
From the Victorian era onwards schooling and education became more formalised and controlled. Schools were private but some also benefited from public money and support. Slowly but surely, the system was taken over by the Government and a regulated education system was introduced.