Elementary Education Act 1870
The Elementary Education Act 1870 (33 & 34 Vict. c. 75), commonly known as Forster's Education Act, set the framework for schooling of all children between the ages of 5 and 12 in England and Wales. It established local education authorities with defined powers, authorized public money to improve existing schools, and tried to frame conditions attached to this aid so as to earn the goodwill of managers. It has long been seen as a milestone in educational development, but recent commentators have stressed that it brought neither free nor compulsory education, and its importance has thus tended to be diminished rather than increased.
| Act of Parliament | |
Parliament of the United Kingdom | |
| Long title | An Act to provide for public Elementary Education in England and Wales. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 33 & 34 Vict. c. 75 |
| Introduced by | William Forster (Commons) |
| Territorial extent | England and Wales |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 9 August 1870 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Charities Act 1960, s 48(2) & Sch 7, Pt I, so far as not otherwise repealed. |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
The law was drafted by William Forster, a Liberal MP, and it was introduced on 17 February 1870 after campaigning by the National Education League, although not entirely to their requirements. In Birmingham, Joseph Chamberlain, not yet a Member of Parliament, was a prominent campaigner on the issue. However, like many grassroots Liberals, he opposed the bill because it was open to the possibility of subsidising Church of England schools with local ratepayers' money.
It was one of the Elementary Education Acts 1870 to 1893.