All about Battersea

by Henry S. Simmonds

Sir Charles Reed, Chairman of the School Board for London, died March 25, 1881. Was interred at Abney Park Cemetery, Wednesday, March 30, 1881.

Fourth Metropolitan School Board elected, 1879.

E. N. Buxton, Esq., Chairman of the London School Board.

LONDON SCHOOL BOARD, LAMBETH DIVISION.[1]
Miss Hen. Muller,
T. E. Heller, Esq.,
Chas. R. White, Esq.,
Rev. G. M. Murphy,
James Stiff, Esq.,
Stanley Kemp-Welsh, Esq.

[1] The Division of Lambeth is thus defined: The Division of Lambeth shall include the Parliamentary Borough of Lambeth, all the parts of the Parishes of Lambeth and Camberwell outside the Boundary of the said Borough and the Wandsworth District, as described in Schedule B. and Part I. of the Metropolitan Local Management Act, 1855, (that is to say) the Parishes of Clapham, Tooting Graveney, Streatham, St. Mary, Battersea, (excluding Penge), Wandsworth, and Putney, (including) Roehampton. There are 63 Board Schools in the whole of the Lambeth Division for the present year (1879), and 45,000 children on the rolls.

The Elementary Education Act of 1870 aims at the compulsory supply of school accommodation in those districts in which there is a deficiency. The general survey under the Education Act of the School provision of every Parish in England did not commence till the 1st of May, 1871.

By virtue of the Elementary Education Act, 1876, and of the Bye-Laws of the School Board for London, the following will be, on and after the 1st January next, the state of the law as regards children, their parents and employers within the Metropolis.

I.—Regulations affecting Parent and Child. The term "parent" includes guardian, and every person who is liable to maintain, or has the actual custody of the child. The parent of every child between the ages of 5 and 14 must cause such child to receive efficient elementary instruction in reading, writing, and arithmetic.[1] A.—By the Bye-Laws of the School Board, which continue in force, the parent of every child between the ages of 5 and 13 must cause such child to attend an efficient School during the whole time for which the School is open. The following cases are excepted:—(a) where a child is receiving efficient instruction in some other manner. (b) where a child is not less than 10 years of age has received a certificate that he has passed the 5th Standard of the Code of 1871: in which case he is wholly exempt from attendance at School. (c) where a child of not less than 10 years of age has obtained a certificate that he is beneficially and necessarily at work: in which case he is exempt from the obligation to attend School more than 10 hours a week. (d) where the child cannot attend School through sickness or other unavoidable cause. If a parent commits a breach of the Bye-Laws he may be summoned before a magistrate, and fined 5s.; and the child may be ordered to attend School. B.—By the Act of 1876, if either—(1) the parent of a child above the age of five years who is prohibited from being taken into full-time employment, habitually and without reasonable excuse, neglects to provide efficient elementary instruction for his child; or, (2) a child is found habitually wandering, or not under proper control, or in the company of rogues, vagabonds, disorderly persons, or reputed criminals; the parent may be summoned before a magistrate, and the child may be ordered to attend School. If the attendance order be not complied with, the parent, if in fault, may be fined 5s.; and in cases of continued non-compliance, the fine may be repeated at intervals not less than a fortnight. The child may also, under certain circumstances, be sent to a certified day industrial School, there to be detained during certain hours each day for a stated period; or to an ordinary certified industrial School, there to be wholly detained for a stated period, which, however, must not extend beyond the time when the child will reach the age of 16 years. In either case, the parent may be made to contribute to the maintenance, of the child. II.—Regulations affecting Employer and Child. The term "employer" includes a "parent" who employs his child by way of trade or for the purposes of gain. A.—No person may employ, in the year 1877, any child who is under the age of nine years; or in subsequent years, any child who is under the age of 10 years. B.—No person may employ a child within certain limits of age, unless the child shall have obtained either a certificate of proficiency that he has reached the fourth Standard of the Code of 1876; or a certificate that he has previously made 250 attendances at least, in not more than two Schools, during each year for a certain number of years, whether consecutive or not, as follows:—

	Age of Children,	Unless they shall
	who may not be	have obtained
	employed.	a Certificate.
		Either of	Or; of
		Proficiency,	previous due
		according to the	Attendance
		undermentioned	for the
		Standard.	undermentioned
			number of years.
In 1877	Children between 9 and	Fourth	Two
	12, with the exception	Standard of
	of those who were 11	1876
	before the 1st January,
	1877
1878	Children between 10 and	Ditto.	Two
	13, with the exception
	of those who were 11
	before the 1st January,
	1877
1879	Children between 10 and	Ditto.	Three
	14, with the exception
	of those who were 11
	before the 1st January,
	1877
1880	Children between 10 and	Ditto.	Four
	14
1881 and	Children between 10 and	Ditto.	Five
subsequent	14
years