U2 - How effective were the Liberal Reforms 1906-14 Flashcards
Reforms for what groups
Y - Young O - Old U - Unemployment S - Sick E - Employed
Young Reforms
- School Meals
- School Medical Inspections
- The Children’s Charter
Young
Children - School Meals - Problem
- Introduction of compulsory education brought to light that children from slum areas were too hungry to learn
- Before 1906, it was illegal for Local Authority School Boards to provide free school meals
Young
Children - School Meals - Problem - Stats
- A report published in 1889 indicated that over 50,000 pupils in London alone were attending school “in want of food”
Young
Children - School Meals - Action
- First reform introduced after their success in the election was the Provision of School Meals Act in 1906
Young
Children - School Meals - Action - Provision of School Meals Act in 1906
- Allowed local authorities to provide school meals to needy children
- Only encourage local authorities to take measure as they saw fit i.e. not compulsory
- Gave local authorities powers to raise a halfpenny on the local tax, if necessary to feed needy school meals
Young
Children - School Meals - Negative
- Schools Meal Act was a rather cautious piece of legislation (not compulsory)
- Local authorities were slow to respond to the legislation ad by 1939 less than 50% were providing this service
Young
Children - School Meals - Negative (Quote)
- “Only a small measure and produced only limited progress” (Fraser)
Young
Children - School Meals - Positive
- Research in 1907 showed clear correlation between weight gain during school terms and weight lost during the school holidays - these children had school meals
- Also 1914 the government provided local authorities with grants of half the costs for providing school meals
Young
Children - School Meals - Positive (results)
- By 1914, 14 million school meals per year were being provided for 158,000 children
Young
Children - School Medical Inspections - Problem
- Introduced in order to reduce the outbreaks of disease which were common at this time
- Government report in 1908 found that 55% of children with medical problems had not been treated
Young
Children - School Medical Inspections - Problem - Diseases
- 80% had defective teeth
- 30% had lice or nits
- 9% had rickets due to inadequate nutrition
- 50% of recruits to Boer War (1899-1902) were unfit to serve
Young
Children - School Medical Inspections - Action
- In 1907, the Education Act made medical inspections for children compulsory
- This act specify that at least 3 inspections must take place during a child’s school years
Young
Children - School Medical Inspections - Negative
- No such measures introduced after school life
- They did not improve the health conditions of adults or school leavers
- Was seen as an act of cruelty towards children as they didn’t offer treatment/solutions
Young
Children - School Medical Inspections - Positive
- This step helped national health levels in children
- By 1914 most authorities were providing some medical treatment for children
Young
Children - The Children’s Charter - Problem
- Children were treated like adults e.g. prisons
Young
Children - The Children’s Charter - Action
- Banned children under the age of fourteen from public houses
- Children under 16 were forbidden to some or drink alcohol, or beg
- Borstals were set up to deal with children convicted of breaking the law, to keep away from adult criminals
- Children were tried in Juvenile Courts
- Probation officers were employed to guide young offenders when they were released from borstal
Young
Children - The Children’s Charter - Negative
- Begging had provided a good source of income for families