History of Grammar Schools in the UK - The Victorian Era

The Victorian Era saw major changes in the system of grammar schools in the UK. These changes reflected a general desire for improvement and both parents’ and authorities’ aspirations to adjust grammar schools to the needs of the time while remaining true to the traditional values and ‘ancient wisdom’. Still based on classical subjects, the curriculum was expanded to include modern subjects including science and started to become more and more similar to modern curriculum.

In addition to the changes in curriculum, the Victorian Era grammar schools in the UK also went through major reorganisation and legislative reforms as stipulated by the Public Schools Act 1868, the Endowed Schools Act 1869 and even earlier, the Grammar Schools Act 1840 which made the above mentioned changes in the curriculum possible. The Public School Act which was passed by the Parliament in 1868 among other things also established the need to improve distribution of the schools in order for them to match the population needs/structure. The Endowed Schools Act that was enacted one year later, on the other hand, pawed the way for the first grammar schools for girls only.

Some of the oldest extant girls’ grammar schools in the UK include: