The Education Act 1918 (8 & 9 Geo. V c. 39), often known as the Fisher Act, is an Act of the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...

. It was drawn up by

H. A. L. Fisher Herbert Albert Laurens Fisher H.A.L. Fisher: ''A History of Europe, Volume II: From the Beginning of the Eighteenth Century to 1935'', Glasgow: Fontana/Collins, 1984, p. i. (21 March 1865 – 18 April 1940) was an English historian, educator, a ...

Herbert Lewis Sir John Herbert Lewis (27 December 1858 – 10 November 1933) was a Welsh Liberal politician. Background and education Born at Mostyn Quay, Flintshire, Lewis was the only child of Enoch Lewis and Catherine Roberts. It is possible that Lewi ...

, Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education, also played a key role in drawing up the Act. The Act applied only to England and Wales; a separate "Education (Scotland) Act 1918" applied for Scotland. This raised the school leaving age to fourteen and planned to expand

tertiary education Tertiary education, also referred to as third-level, third-stage or post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank, for example, defines tertiary education as including univers ...

. Other features of the 1918 Education Act included the provision of ancillary services (

medical inspection In a physical examination, medical examination, or clinical examination, a medical practitioner examines a patient for any possible medical signs or symptoms of a Disease, medical condition. It generally consists of a series of questions about th ...

nursery schools A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary school ...

, centres for pupils with special needs, etc.). By the 1920s, the education of young children was of growing interest and concern to

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

s, as well as to

educationalist Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Vari ...

s. As a result of this rising level of public debate, the Government of the day referred a number of topics for enquiry to the Consultative Committee of the Board of Education,Brehony, K. J. (1994). "The 'School Masters Parliament: the origins and formation of the Consultative Committee of the Board of Education 1868–1916." History of Education 23(2): 171–193. then chaired by Sir

William Henry Hadow Sir William Henry Hadow (27 December 1859 – 8 April 1937) was a leading educational reformer in Great Britain, a musicologist and a composer. Life Born at Ebrington in Gloucestershire and baptised there on 29 January 1860 by his father, ...

. Altogether the

Hadow Committee Hadow is a Scottish surname. A number of notable people have this name: *Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Lovell Hadow (1877–1968) who was commanding the Royal Newfoundland Regiment on the day of its destruction on the first day of the Battle of the So ...

published three very important reports – 1926, 1931 and 1933. These reports led to major changes in the structure of primary education. In particular, they resulted in separate and distinctive educational practice for children aged 5–7 (infants) and those aged 7–11 (juniors). The Reports recommended child centred approaches and class sizes of no more than thirty. These recommendations marked a triumph of 'progressive' educational thought and practice over the more 'traditional' ideas and proved to be popular with many policy makers and teachers alike.

References

External links

*
Digital Reproduction of the Original Act on the Parliamentary Archives catalogue
{{UK legislation United Kingdom Education Acts 1918 in education 1918 in law United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1918 Public education in the United Kingdom