Education Revised Codes 1862 and 1872 and Standards

Prior to 1800, school attendance was available for a small number of children, primarily those from wealthy families who could afford private tutors or fee-paying public schools. Education for poorer children was limited to isolated charity schools and possibly Dame schools.  These Dame schools were often run by an old lady, or possibly a retired soldier, who used their home as a school for local children and for a small fee taught the basic 'three Rs' - reading, writing and arithmetic. Girls may have been instructed in knitting and sewing.

As the 1800s started, society became more awareness that schools were important and necessary, especially for poorer families. The ability to read was thought to be a way to improve the life chances of the poor and literacy was seen as essential for working people to understand their responsibilities as citizens. Another motivator was the ambition to reduce crime. Charities and Societies became actively involved in the growth of schooling. In 1808 the Royal Lancastrian Society (later the British and Foreign School Society) was created to promote schools using the Monitorial System. Another organisation, the National Society was set up in 1811 to establish similar schools but based on the teachings of the Church of England in contrast to the non-denominational Christian instruction of the Lancastrian schools. The National Society aimed to establish a National School in every parish of England and Wales. The schools were usually next to the parish church, and the local clergy influenced the teaching.

At this time the Government did not consider they had a role in schools but by the early 1830’s the Government had recognised that it had some part to play. From 1833, the state began to pay annual grants to the societies, with the much larger National Society receiving a proportionally larger share. The grants increased over time, and as grants were provided from public funds accountability became a focus. The Government employing Her Majesty's Inspectors for Schools (HMIs) to undertake school visits and inspections. HMIs were first appointed in 1839, and their work was initially focused on Elementary Schools. Their goal was to improve education, with HMI assessing "the apparatus and internal management of schools, in school management and discipline, and in the methods of teaching". These inspections were linked to government grants, becoming a condition for receiving state funding from 1839.

At this time there was no national explicit requirements associated with the grant and no criteria for HMI inspections.

By the 1860’s with the increase in schools, pupils attending them and increase in grant values this approach became unsustainable and in 1862 the Government legislated by producing what became known as the ‘Revised Code’.

The term "Revised Code" refers to a specific set of educational regulations issued in 1862, not a general term. The Revised Code, also known as ‘Lowe's Code’, significantly changed how Elementary Education was funded and assessed in England and Wales. It was called "revised" because it altered previous practices and the funding system for Elementary Schools. The code focused on payment-by-results, meaning schools received funding based on student performance in standardized tests. This system was a departure from previous methods of funding and inspection, and thus the term ‘revised’ reflects the change it introduced. It stipulated that every scholar for whom grants were claimed must be examined according to one of six 'standards' in reading, writing and arithmetic. However, the rigid monitorial system, rote learning practices, and its emphasis on passing examinations rather than quality education, though economical, came to be viewed by inspectors as limited.

The weaknesses and criticisms of this 1862 approach resulted in the publication of The Revised Code of 1872. This was not a replacement of the 1862 Revised Code, but rather a revision and modification of it. The 1872 revisions aimed to address some of these criticisms, introducing changes to encourage a broader range of subjects and improve the quality of education. 

The standards defined in the Revised Code 1862 can be compared to the standards in the Revised Code 1872 on the excel document associated with this research. ’Revised Codes 1862 and 1872 Six Standards  Comparison’.