School starting age

[Tex T]

I went to an open day today at my former infants school (St Bedes Widnes) and on display were admission books for the time period when my father and his brothers and sisters started at the same school (1902-1919).

I was surprised to see that for the first three children they were admitted when they were only a month or two over 3 years old (1902-1906) and even the next one (1909) started at 4 years old.

I can only assume that they entered nursery classes. Does anyone know if nursery classes existed so early in the twentieth century?

[northmeols]

most definatley for larger cities, mothersoftenworking in factories could leave their children in them. some were aseparate building, during WWII there were hundreds of kids in nursery school.

[Hilary]

It was always from around 1870 assumed to be at age 5. The legal requirement even now is the term after the child has reached 5 years. Schools "bent" the rules to take a child younger usually to perhaps help a family who had difficulties - perhaps mother had died or no work etc. There weren't nursery classes as such just admitted into the youngest age group. Even in the 1970s I remember a rural school I taught in admitted a child in who wouldn't normally have been admitted for another couple of terms as a parent had died and there was no local child care.

[dickiesam]

Speaking from experience...
My first school had a Nursery Class. Children would be admitted in the following September if their 4th birthday was before the 1st of July each year. However there were always exceptions at the discretion of the Head Teacher, usually depending on the parents' circumstances and whether there were already older siblings at the school.

The children's ages would be from about 3 1/2 to 5 and a bit years. Here's a 1938 Nursery Class. Judge for yourselves!



DS

[Hilary]

When I said there weren't nursery classes I was talking of in the early part of the 1900s. Later there were nursery classes mainly in the cities.

The example I gave was a 5 class school in the 1970s rural and no nursery class. My primary school had no nursery class I started school at the legal age the term after I was five. That was in the 1950s. It was in suburbia.

[northmeols]

I went to a nursery class at 4, but 2 of my younger siblings went to a nursery school for working moms, they took them as young as 2, it was in a different building a few streets away. nan said it had been running since the early 1940s for mothers who worked in the war effort who had no family to care for their toddlers.

[Tex T]

Thanks for all your replies.

DS - are you on the photograph?

[dickiesam]

Thanks for all your replies.

DS - are you on the photograph?

Hi Tex T,
Yes! On left of picture, hunkered down by the doll's house. I've an arrow directed at my head!

DS

[yappie]

Hi
Thought I would share this school record I found for my 2xgreat grandfather.

Start date 31/10/1826 Age 6 William ////////// - 02/07/1828 Turned out of the school for "unproper" conduct by order of the Committee Although he was reinstated 08/07/1828
and finished on the 26/03/1832 to work.

I have been having sleepless nights wondering what the "unproper" behaviour was
Yappie

[MaryA]

Do let us know if you ever find out, it would be fun to know.