London school records go online

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has added school records to its site for London from 1840-1911. From the site:

About London, England, School Admissions and Discharges, 1840-1911 

This is a collection of School Admission and Discharges for schools in London. This collection contains more than a million students from 843 different schools. In 1833, Parliament started to provide money for the construction of schools for poor children, although it was still largely a private affair. Mandatory schooling was a local decision until 1870, when children were required to attend from age 5 to 10. By 1918, education was required up to the age of 14.

These records are lists of children who were admitted to and discharged from schools. When education was required, children could be discharged from their schooling if they were needed to work to help support the family. The records vary by school and some are more detailed than others. The records include:

• Admission Date 
• Name 
• Parents’ names 
• Parents’ occupation 
• Address 
• Birth date 
• Age

The following boroughs and schools are represented:

• Camden (26 schools)
• City of London (2 schools)
• Greenwich (19 schools)
• Hackney (27 schools)
• Hammersmith and Fulham (20 schools)
• Islington (26 schools)
• Kensington and Chelsea (9 schools)
• Lambeth (36 schools)
• Lewisham (21 schools)
• Southwark (51 schools)
• Tower Hamlets (74 schools)
• Wandsworth (24 schools)
• Westminster (32 schools)

To view the collection visit http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=1938

Chris