Despite the work of churches, which provided day schools in towns like Preston, it was clear that in the mid-1860s, half the children of school age in Britain did not attend regular daytime education.

The Education Act of 1870 gave local authorities the responsibility for building schools and providing an education to all children. Local school boards were set up which were responsible for building new schools. All schools were subject to Government regulation and inspection.

In 1876 all children under 10 were required by law to attend school. This was extended to include all children under 12 years old in 1899 and all children under 14 years old in 1918. In 1896 all school fees in state schools were abolished and education became free for all.