Education in the Home, Schools and Universities

Question 1

List 4 reasons why education became more important in the Elizabethan Era.

Answer 1

• Humanists in the 1500s encouraged learning for the sake of being educated and understanding the world better
• Protestants believed people should be able to read the Bible themselves
• As trade and business developed, education became more important in towns in particular
• Upper-class boys went to university as this was seen to be increasingly necessary for a career in court

Question 2

List 3 ways education changed during the Elizabethan Era.

Answer 2

• 42 grammar schools were founded in the 1560s, and 30 more were founded in the 1570s
• Most education before was provided by the Church
• Literacy rates for men increased by 10% from the 1530s to 1603 (20% to 30%)- women’s stayed the same at 10%

Question 3

What was education like for lower class boys and girls, and why?

Answer 3

• They had no formal education
• They learned what they needed from their families, working on the land or in homes
• Rarely, however, they were taught to read and write by their masters
• They were needed to bring in income as early as possible, and the jobs they tended to take didn’t need literacy or numeracy
• In Elizabethan society, people were educated to the level required for their future job

Question 4

What was education like for middle class girls?

Answer 4

• They attended a Dame school; these were run by a local educated woman
• These provided them with a basic education, but most of what they needed to know was focused on the home as they did not need to support themselves
• They would need to be able to bake, sew and treat ailments and injuries

Question 5

What was education like for middle class boys?

Answer 5

• They went to parish/ petty schools up to the age of 8, where they learnt basic skills such as reading, writing and basic arithmetic
• They would then go to a grammar school, up until the age of 14
• They then either went to university, or did an apprenticeship
• Children could also start an apprenticeship earlier as that itself cost money, but later provided them with a good standard of living

Question 6

What was education like for the children of the nobility?

Answer 6

• They had a private tutor until their early teens
• They learnt Latin, Greek, history, philosophy and other subjects
• Skills such as horse riding and archery were taught to them as well
• Children of the nobility were also sent to another household to finish off their education

Question 7

List 4 differences between the education of upper class girls and upper class boys.

Answer 7

• Girls were taught music, dancing and needlework
• Boys were taught fencing, swimming, wrestling and other sports
• Girls were sent to other nobles families to make social contacts
• Boys went to university as this was seen to be increasingly important

Question 8

Who went to grammar schools?

Answer 8

• Sons of the gentry, merchants and yeomen who could afford to go, and were considered bright
• Lower class boys with a lot of ability could go without paying fees, as people funded these types of students in their will

Question 9

What was education in grammar schools like?

Answer 9

• The school year and day were long
• Punishments included corporal punishment and exclusion
  Boys were taught:
• Latin
• Greek
• Works of classical authors (Plato, Aristotle)
• Arithmetic
• Bible passages
• Public speaking and debating

Question 10

How did the curriculums of grammar schools differ according to who attended them?

Answer 10

• Some grammar schools ran alternative curriculums for the sons of merchants and craftsmen that were more practical
• Others also provided educations that were mostly in the form of apprenticeships for the sons of craftsmen and yeomen

Question 11

Describe independent schools in the Elizabethan Era.

Answer 11

• Winchester and Eton were set up in the 14th and 15th centuries
• They were attended by small numbers of yeomen, gentry and merchants
• Some members of the nobility also went there before going to university
• All courses were taught in Latin
• Courses were similar to those of grammar schools, but with emphasis on courtesy, conduct and etiquette necessary for gentlemen to have in court

Question 12

Describe universities in the Elizabethan Era.

Answer 12

• There were two; Oxford and Cambridge
• All degrees included rhetoric (public speaking and persuasion), geometry, music, astronomy, philosophy, mathematics and logic
• A doctorate was the highest qualification, and could be earned in medicine, law and divinity
• Two-thirds of university graduates were boys from the lower classes that had some form of financial support (Christopher Marlowe was the son of a cobbler, but went from his local school to Cambridge on a scholarship)