Absent Through Want of Boots

Diary of a Victorian School in Leicestershire

Following the 1870 Forster Elementary Education Act, Albert Road Board School in Leicestershire opened on September 2, 1878 with an average role of 500 children. Drawn from the first-hand accounts of the headmasters in the school log books, this book details the diseases and ailments suffered; the struggle of local families to feed and clothe their children, especially during difficult times of strike and war; the introduction of vaccinations and the school health inspector; the arrival of the telephone and electric lighting; and comments about the curriculum, staff, and leisure activities. Sometimes humorous and sometimes sad, everyday life is captured here: from accounts of overcrowded classrooms and corporal punishment, to squabbles about tending the classroom fires. This book captures the reality of life at this Victorian school and is a must for local and family historians alike.