Until the 1870 Education Act there was no requirement for children to attend school. Generally only the children of the wealthy received an education, except possibly Sunday school. Most children would have worked in factories, mines or more commonly in Barham on farms. The Education Act of 1870 for the first time required that all children up to the age of eleven years attended school. The current school in Barham opened for the first time in 1867 but it is believed that there may have been some kind of education available in the village prior to this and there would most certainly have been Sunday school provision. We know from the head teacher’s logbook that Arithmetic, the Catechism, Natural History, Spelling and Singing were taught. We also know that girls were taught sewing, knitting and pattern making and were expected to produce beautifully detailed samplers. The core of the curriculum was of course the 3 R’s Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. Religious Instruction was a vital part of the children’s education and as the logbook for August 10th 1910 shows there were examinations in such areas as the prayer book.

Address: Valley Road, Barham, Kent CT4 6JX
Telephone: 01227 831312
Fax: 01227 831096
Website: http://www.barham.kent.sch.uk/