In Anglesey, north Wales during the early nineteenth century elementary education was provided by groups of schools generally distinguished by the religious affiliation of the pupils and whether or not they received state funding. The National schools were associated with the state and the Anglican Church; British schools provided education for the children of nonconformists. Significant changes in the education system were introduced by parliamentary legislation in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The 1870 Education Act provided for the establishment of school districts in which the ratepayers in each district would elect school boards to examine the provision of elementary education in their district, and if there were not enough school places, they could build and maintain schools out of the rates. School boards could make their own by-laws allowing them to charge fees or not. The 1870 Act established the principle of compulsory elementary education, which in 1880 was made compulsory for all children up to the age of ten. The 1902 National State Education Act allowed local education authorities to take charge of state schools and on 1st June 1904 Anglesey County Council delegated its Education Committee based at Llangefni to take control of schools, a development which initiated an ongoing programme of school building and renovation.
The 1918 Education Act, part of reconstruction legislation after the First World War, made school attendance compulsory for children up to the age of fourteen. It also provided for ancillary services including medical inspection, nursery schools and special needs education.
From the guide to the Anglesey Education Papers, 1918-1930, (Bangor University)
