COMPULSORY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE AND THE ELEMENTARY EDUCATION ACT OF 1870: 150 YEARS ON

On the occasion of its sesquicentenary, which coincides with an extended period of school closures imposed due to the effects of a global virus pandemic, this paper analyses the Elementary Education Act of 1870, and in particular in relation to its implications for compulsory attendance at school. I...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of educational studies 2020-09, Vol.68 (5), p.523-540
Main Author: Mcculloch, Gary
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
1870 Elementary Education Act
Ambiguity
Ambiguity (Context)
Ambivalence
Attendance
Compulsory
Compulsory Education
compulsory schooling
Court Litigation
Educational Change
Educational History
Educational Legislation
Elementary Education
Foreign Countries
Historiography
Legislation
Pandemics
School attendance
School Closing
School closures
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:On the occasion of its sesquicentenary, which coincides with an extended period of school closures imposed due to the effects of a global virus pandemic, this paper analyses the Elementary Education Act of 1870, and in particular in relation to its implications for compulsory attendance at school. It did not introduce compulsory schooling but helped to shape the ambiguities and uncertainties surrounding school attendance that have persisted into the twenty-first century, such as the case of the Isle of Wight Council v. Platt in 2017 and highlighted in the school closures of 2020. The paper discusses the historiography of educational legislation, looks closely at the requirements for school attendance in the 1870 Act and related legislation, and then examines the historical and contemporary repercussions of this ambiguity and ambivalence.
ISSN:0007-1005
1467-8527
DOI:10.1080/00071005.2020.1831434