|
The word Industrial School did not have the current meaning of vocational school, although they did have a curriculum with a focus on the trades. An industrial school was another word for a school that was a reformatory.
An industrial school was a boarding school for juvenile delinquents who had not yet got into serious trouble. The schools were provided for by the Industrial Schools Act (1857). The idea was to provide a place for problem youths other than sending them to an adult prison. The children were generally poor and neglected. The act authorized magistrates to remove disorderly children from their home environment and placed in a boarding school. They were called industrial schools because the curriculum focused on providing the boys a trade. Desford was one of these schools. Over time it was also called an approved school.
Another Act of Parliament led to the establishment similar, but non-residential schools for boys (1876).
These schools were created as a result of the passage of the Industrial Schools Act (1857). There were similar schools in Ireland and Scotland. The students who attended were sent to these schools by the courts. They came from very poor families. In Richard's story he went to this type of school because he played truant. He never left the school he was sent to until he was 14. By then the other pupils could not believe that the reason he was at their industrial school was because he had been a truant. This implies that many boys had committed more serious infractions, but where not serious enough for prison! They were supposed to be were bad children where made into good law abidding citizens who had been given vocational training. The vocational training is why they were caused an industrial school. A range of skills were taught which varied from school to school. These included carpentry, farm work, tailoring, ect. A British researcher has prepared a useful list of industrial and reformatory school. The list includes schools in England and Wales because the Welsh school system is so similar to that in England. We note a fascinating acoount of Richard Charles who attended an industrial school. One example of an industrial school is the Desford Boys School (1881-1975).
Related Chronolgy Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[The 1880s]
[The 1930s]
[The 1940s]
[The 1950s]
[The 1960s]
[The 1970s]
[The 1980s]
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing School Uniform Pages
[Return to the Main English Historical School Type Page]
[Australia]
[England]
[France]
[Germany]
[Italy]
[Japan]
[New Zealand]
[Scotland]
[United States]
