Compulsory Education. The 3 R's.

Compulsory Education.

‘Elementary Education Act’ 1880 insisted on compulsory education attendance from 5 – 10 years of age. This was difficult for poorer families as it was tempting to send them to work to earn extra income. Attendance officers visiting homes of the children who didn’t attend proved to be ineffective. Children under 13 who were employed required a certificate to show they had reached the educational standard. 13 years later in 1893 came the ‘Elementary Education (School Attendance) Act’. This raised the minimum leaving age to 11. Later in the same year, the act was extended as well for the blind and deaf children, who previously had no means of education. The act was then amended in 1899 to raise the school leaving age up to 12.

The 3 R’s.

The 3 R’s refers to the foundations of a basic level education program within schools; reading, writing and arithmetic. Originally this phrase came from a speech made by Sir William Curtis in 1795. Reading and writing in modern education is literacy. This is having the ability to understand ideas expressed through words. Anything to do with numbers is numeracy.