Nottingham Day Industrial School, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
In 1886, the Nottingham School Board established a Day Industrial School at 5-7 George Street, Nottingham. The premises had previous been a private residence, the afterwards rented in parts as a Jewish synagogue, registry office, and shoe-maker's shop. The School was formally certified for operation on February 1st, 1886, with accommodation for 100 children aged from 7 to 14 years. Miss Readman was appointed as superintendent.
The establishment provided all of each child's meals, together with education and industrial training. It operated between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. (with a half-day on Saturday). After breakfast, school work and industrial occupations took place in parallel until midday. The next half hour was devoted to drill and gymnastics, followed by a period of play, then dinner and a little more play. The afternoon followed a similar pattern except that those who had been doing school lessons in the morning were now occupied in industrial activity, and vice versa.
In 1887, Mrs Mills had taken over as superintendent. A report on the School noted that for industrial occupation, the boys were employed in wood chopping and mat-making. The only three girls assisted in the kitchen and scullery.
Official inspections of the establishment increasingly criticised the unsuitability of the premises and the School was eventually closed on September 28th, 1905. The building no longer survives.
Records
Note: many repositories impose a closure period of up to 100 years for records identifying individuals. Before travelling a long distance, always check that the records you want to consult will be available.
- None identfied at present — any information welcome.
Bibliography
- Higginbotham, Peter Children's Homes: A History of Institutional Care for Britain's Young (2017, Pen & Sword)
- Mahood, Linda Policing Gender, Class and Family: Britain, 1850-1940 (1995, Univeristy of Alberta Press)
- Prahms, Wendy Newcastle Ragged and Industrial School (2006, The History Press)
Links
- None noted at present.
Except where indicated, this page () © Peter Higginbotham. Contents may not be reproduced without permission.
