ABSTRACT
By the time Fleet Road School was opened in 1879, the worst effects of the Revised Code of 1862 had been mitigated.2 Thus from 1867, in addition to the three R’s, specific subjects such as history, geography and grammar could be offered, and later the natural sciences, political economy and languages. The 1875 Code introduced as class subjects grammar, geography, history and plain needlework. In class subjects, schools were assessed on the basis of classwork and not individual proficiency. English literature was added to the list of specific subjects in 1876. Further broadening took place in the 1880s. The 1882 Code was a vital one for schools such as Fleet Road, for a new Standard VII was introduced, allowing children to stay on at their elementary school into their teens. The limits of elementary education were extended not just in terms of age, but also further specific subjects, including electricity, chemistry and agriculture. Elementary science was brought in throughout the school. For grant purposes, schools were to be classified as fair, good or excellent. A merit grant was to be paid for exceptional work. Another important landmark was the development of higher elementary and higher-grade schools. Extra grants were available from the Science and Art Department for certain types of instruction. These developments all brought the elementary sector under increased public scrutiny, and facilitated the evolution of a hierarchical grading of schools.
