Early Birmingham Schools

[Wendy]

Birmingham Schools and The Elementary Education Act 1870


The elementary education act was quickly adopted in Birmingham with the first School Board for the town taking place in November of that year. By 1879, the Board had opened 24 schools, all of them architecturally considered, ornaments of the town. The following is a list of these schools with the date of opening, and the number of scholars for whom accommodation is provided including boys, girls, and infants;
Name of school Date of opening No of Children
Farm Street July 1873 1055
Bloomsbury March 1873 1059
Jenkins Street May 1873 1136
Steward Street July 1873 1055
Garrison Lane July 1873 968
Elkington Street May 1874 983
Lower Windsor Street November 1874 1055
Allcock Street April 1875 1052
Rea Street South July 1875 1070
Osler Street November 1875 1025
Datmouth Street May-Oct 1876 1053
Smith Street June 1876 972
Bristol Street October 1876 1023
Nelson Street November 1876 971
Norton Street November 1876 994
Moseley Road January 1877 1017
Fox Street January 1877 1017
Brookfields November 1877 1018
Summer Lane September 1877 1352
Oozells Street January 1879 807
Dudley Road June 1878 1220
Little Green Lane August 1878 1347
Hutton Street January 1879 1095
Montgomery Street July 1879 1000
The total amount spent in the erection of school buildings and purchase of sites, is £349,575 19s 1d the total cost of school maintenance for eight years was £94,928.
This information was taken from Robert K Dents book Old and New Birmingham published in 1880.

 

[mickyd]

Hi Wendy,Just picked up on this Thread, a lot of the names are familiar, one stands out Garrison Lane, not because i attended but I lived next door to the school from 1956-1967, during that time it was a teacher training centre and a nursery school the caretakers where a Mr & Mrs Hunt, mom had the shop next door " RENES STORES" then came the Garrison Tavern Licencee was a Mrs Phyliss Glastonbury. Have you ever heard of a Gem Street School Nechells, as i'm sure my Mother said she attended at sometime pos 1930's? Happy Days Mickyd.

 

[dek carr]

Hello Mickyd Gem St was not in Nechells it was located in Gosta Green between Colsehill St and Aston St I hope you don,t think I am being cheeky with this comment but in my time in Duddeston 40-60s the school was used for children that were a little slow in learning we also had a school for the deaf based there.Dek

 

[Phil]

Gem St Industrial School opened in 1868. The 1857 Industrial Schools Act was intended to solve the problems of poor and neglected children by removing them from their home environment to a boarding school.

The Act allowed Magistrates to send disorderly children to a residential industrial school. An Act in 1876 led to non residential schools of a similar kind.

Phil

 

[postie]

This medal was issued to William Bishop for 5 years perfect attendance.

 

[Astoness]

nice medal that jim....gem st school looked a good sturdy building..i say looked as i am guessing its been demolished..

lyn

 

[dek carr]

nice medal that jim....gem st school looked a good sturdy building..i say looked as i am guessing its been demolished..

lyn

Lyn disappeared at the same time as Laurance St under the university now. Dek

 

[Wendy]

I researched a child who went to Gem Street unsure why but in a later census she seemed happily married with two children.

 

[mickyd]

Hello Mickyd Gem St was not in Nechells it was located in Gosta Green between Colsehill St and Aston St I hope you don,t think I am being cheeky with this comment but in my time in Duddeston 40-60s the school was used for children that were a little slow in learning we also had a school for the deaf based there.Dek

Thanks for info and no your not being cheeky, Mom was born in 1925 the youngest of 12 and lived in Great Lister St, she used to say her schooldays where difficult so going to Gem St makes sence,It must have helped her because she had her own bussiness for a large part of her working life. Mick