This is the school report of Ethel Tacon in 1894. It gives a lot of evidence about lessons in Victorian schools.
Tasks
Look at the meanings of the words in the glossary before you answer these questions.
Make a list of the subjects for which Ethel got an A or a B grade. These were mainly factual subjects which involved a lot of learning. What qualities would be needed to have been good at these subjects?
Make a list of the subjects for which Ethel got a C or a D grade. These were more creative subjects. What qualities would be needed to have been good at these subjects?
What subjects taken by Ethel would not be taken now by Year 8 pupils now?
What subjects do Year 8 pupils learn now which Ethel did not have?
Your teacher is likely to have written a lot more about you on your school report than Edith's teachers did on hers. Do you think this means that your teacher cares more about you than Ethel's teachers cared about her?
The teacher wrote "Very satisfactory" as the general comment on Ethel Tacon. This is very short. Imagine you were her teacher. Write your own comments about her. Include comments on what you can deduce about her behaviour as well as her school work.