Educational Policy Before 1988

• Before the industrial revolution, there were no state schools . Education was available for only a minority of the population . It was provided by fee-paying schools for the wealthy , or by the church and charities for a few of the poor . Before 1833 , there was no public money being spent on education .
• Industrialisation increased the need for an educated workforce and from the early 19th century , the state became more involved in education . Reflecting the growing importance of education , the state made schooling compulsory from ages 5 to 13 in 1880 .
• Schools did little to change the pupils' ascribed status . Middle class pupils were given an academic curriculum to prepare them for careers in the professions or office work . By contrast , working class pupils were given a schooling to equip them with basic numeracy and literacy skills needed for routine factory work and to instil them an obedient attitude to their superiors .