School boards in England and Wales

School boards were public bodies in England and Wales between 1870 and 1902, which established and administered elementary schools.

School boards were created in boroughs and parishes under the Elementary Education Act 1870 following campaigning by George Dixon, Joseph Chamberlain and the National Education League for elementary education free from Anglican doctrine. Education was still not free of fees. Members were directly elected, not appointed by borough councils or parishes. Each board could:

Unusually for the time, women were eligible to win election to school boards. When the first elections were held, in 1870, seven women were elected across the country: Anne Ashworth and Caroline Shum in Bath, Catherine Ricketts in Brighton, Lydia Becker in Manchester, Mrs Heath in Huddersfield, Eleanor Smith in Oxford, and Miss Temple in Exeter.

School boards were abolished by the Education Act 1902, which replaced them with local education authorities.

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