College of Preceptors

The College of Preceptors, also known as Society of Teachers, was an examining body and learned society of teachers, professors and associated professionals who worked in education in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1923. It is not to be mixed with an organization called College of Teachers, which currently operates in the UK.

The college was founded as the Society of Teachers in 1846 and incorporated by royal charter as the College of Preceptors in 1849. The college published The Educational Times from 1847 to 1923. The College published the quarterly academic journal Education Today up until its closure. It was based in the Institute of Education of the University of London.

The college was founded in 1846 by a group of private schoolmasters from Brighton who were concerned about standards within their profession. A provisional committee was set up in early 1846 under the chairmanship of Henry Stein Turrell (1815-1863), principal of the Montpelier House School in Brighton. After meetings in London and Brighton a general meeting was called for 20 June 1846 at the Freemason's Tavern in Great Queen Street. Some 300 schoolmasters attended, some 60 members enrolled and founding resolutions passed, including:

The college created a system for the formal examination and qualification of secondary school teachers. It was also one of the first bodies to examine and provide certificates for secondary school pupils of both sexes, from all over England and Wales, in a wide variety of subjects.

During the 1870s, the college helped to establish education as a subject worthy of study at university level, resulting in the appointment of Joseph Payne as the first Professor of Education. Frances Buss (1827–1894) and Sir John Adams (1857–1934) were also connected to the College. During the 1950s the college pioneered management training schemes for teachers (at the time these were known as school administration courses).

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