Catalogue description Records of the Committee of the Privy Council on Education

In 1833 sums began to be voted by Parliament for distribution by the Treasury to voluntary educational bodies, in particular the National Society for the Education of the Poor in the Principles of the Established Church and the British and Foreign Schools Society, on whose recommendation money was granted to aid the building of elementary schools. In April 1839 a Committee of the Privy Council on Education was established to supervise the application of sums voted by Parliament to further public education. This work was carried out by an Education Department within the Privy Council, headed by the Secretary of the Committee, until 1853 when this department was detached from the Privy Council Office, and by Order in Council of 25 February 1856 absorbed into a new Education Department. The general educational work of the new department continued to be controlled by the Committee of the Privy Council, which was composed of the Lord President, the Vice-President and principal ministers, but for practical purposes the Education Department operated as a virtually autonomous unit. In 1872 a separate Committee for Education in Scotland was established and the Education Department was thereafter responsible for England and Wales alone. The Committee on Education was a prerogative committee, and continued until 1899.