An Account of the Early Modern Education System With Reference to Wolsey

Many believe that free education is a relatively modern idea, instituted at the end of the 19th Century when secondary education was made compulsory. However, this is a misconception. In the middle ages grammar schools provided education for anyone who wanted it. They were funded by rich nobles who donated an extremely large sum of money for the school to be founded and continue to provide education to children for years. Although anyone who wanted to go was able to, this was not always practical. Only boys went to school and girls stayed at the home to be educated in cooking, washing etc by their mothers. As it was not compulsory, if a family was too poor to allow their boy to go to school and needed him to help them survive by working, he had to stay at home. This was the case for about 40% of families in England. Despite this, grammar schools reached only a tiny percentage of the population. It was widely believed among the gentry and upper classes (who funded and therefore controll...