Education

What was education like during Elizabeth I's reign?

Elizabethans saw education as an important part of life and a way to climb the social ladder. The main purpose of education was to teach children appropriate behaviour and to make them useful members of society.

What was education like for girls in Elizabethan England?

Education was a luxury for most people and those who attended schools were mainly boys from wealthier society. Hardly any girls attended school.

What was education like for young children in Elizabethan England?

Children were taught about behaviour and religion at home. At age six, children went to Sunday school. Rich children learned with the help of private tutors, and poor children were trained in housekeeping and basic manual labour.

How were petty schools involved with education in Elizabethan England?

Petty schools (or dame schools) taught maths, reading, and writing. There was no official curriculum and no classes. Children were not split into year groups. They started at the age of six, became literate and then left.

How were grammar schools involved with education in Elizabethan England?

Grammar schools were private schools for boys from middle class families. The main topic taught was Latin, but students also learned history and philosophy.

How was the horn book used in education in Elizabethan England?

This was the most important tool used in grammar schools. A horn book was a piece of parchment usually pasted to a small wooden board. The horn book displayed the alphabet in both small letters and capital letters.

What was education like for the nobility in Elizabethan England?

Children of the nobility were often taught at home. They would be taught foreign languages, history and politics. Boys would be taught fencing, swimming and other sports; girls would be taught needlework and music.

What was higher education like in Elizabethan England?

A university degree was seen as a route to the professions for those who were not nobles. The two universities in England were Oxford and Cambridge.

What did boys do if they could not afford university in Elizabethan England?

Most boys began an apprenticeship after grammar school because they could not afford to attend university.