Following the 1870 Forster Elementary Education Act, Albert Road Board School in Leicestershire opened on September 2, 1878 with an average role of 500 children. Drawn from the first-hand accounts of the headmasters in the school log books, this book details the diseases and ailments suffered; the struggle of local families to feed and clothe their children, especially during difficult times of strike and war; the introduction of vaccinations and the school health inspector; the arrival of the telephone and electric lighting; and comments about the curriculum, staff, and leisure activities. Sometimes humorous and sometimes sad, everyday life is captured here: from accounts of overcrowded classrooms and corporal punishment, to squabbles about tending the classroom fires. This book captures the reality of life at this Victorian school and is a must for local and family historians alike.
