The Significance of Religious Education in the Elementary School of England and Wales, 1870-1902: A Focus on Claims of the Anglican Clergy and School-Master

Abstract

This paper discusses the significance of religious education in elementary education at the end of the 19th century in England and Wales. At that time, the foundation for national education was being built. As a result, the government began to intervene in education, and the state essentially replaced the church, which was the institution that had educated the people. However, religious education was never completely removed, and continues to be a component of public education to this day. Did religious education really decline with the development of the public education system?

In this paper, the significance of religious education is reviewed by examining how the clergy and school-masters perceived religious education in schools, using annual reports of the National Society and the Cross Commission. While religious education restraints were established in the late 19th century, their assertions and relationships show that religious education was regarded as an important and meaningful. Thus, the increasing secularisation by the state in the process of expanding public education system was not necessarily linked to the decline of religious education.