3.1 Education, and leisure

Question 1

What were the places which education could be provided? (4)

Answer 1

• Home
• Petty school
• Grammar school
• University

Question 2

What was education like at home? (3)

Answer 2

• Early years: etiquette and religious education
• 6 years: Sunday school - all learn the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed and the 10 commandments.
• Young age:
• (a) boys learnt simple work skills.
• (b) girls helped with household activities.
• (c) noble households taught by private tutors or sent to other noble households and taught.

Question 3

What was education like at parish schools? (4)

Answer 3

• Run by local parish priest, attached to grammar school or set up by private individuals.
• Taught basic reading, writing and maths
• No set curriculum, age or books - mainly had religious focus and used the hornbook.
• Most attendants were boys but some admitted girls.

Question 4

What was education like at grammar schools? (3)

Answer 4

• ↑ in number of grammar schools (100 new schools)
• Majority of pupils middle/upper class males - some bright boys from poorer backgrounds accepted.
• Taught Latin, classical literature and sometimes Greek at age 7.

Question 5

What was education like at university? (4)

Answer 5

• Number of university students ↑ as upper class prosperity ↑
• Some boys went university (Oxford or Cambridge) after grammar school.
• Advanced in written and spoken Latin, and taught arithmetic, music, Greek, astronomy, geometry and philosophy
• Specialised in law, theology or medicine after undergraduate degree.

Question 6

What were the continuities in attitudes towards education? (4)

Answer 6

• Provision for girls - formal education thought to not be necessary (wealthy went Dame Schools or had private tutors).
• Girl’s literacy rate - remained at 20%
• Cost of school - all school’s had fees.
• Optional attendance - wealthy only needed proper education and not needed for vast majority of population.

Question 7

What were the changes in attitudes towards education? (4)

Answer 7

• Petty schools: taught reading and writing so that people could atleast count for trade and read their bibles - literacy ↑
• Grammar schools - church did not have to teach children - educated separately from church. Scholarships gave more opportunities to poor.
• University attendance - ↑ as upper class prosperity ↑.
• Influence of humanism - educational opportunities ↑ due to new idea that education is valuable and not for preparing for roles in life.