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History at Key Stage 2 Unit 11
What was it like for children living in Victorian
Britain?
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Unit 11 What was it like for children living in
Victorian Britain?
Who were the Victorians? When did they live? The
Victorian Era is the name given to the period in
history when Queen Victoria was on the
throne. She was Queen from 1837 to 1901. Thats
more than 63 years, which is longer than any
other British monarch so far. Victoria had 9
children, of which 4 would later become
monarchs Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII and
George VI. As well as English, Queen Victoria
could speak German, French, Italian and Latin.
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Unit 11 What was it like for children living in
Victorian Britain?
Who were the Victorians? When did they live?
2000
1900
1800
1700
1600
1950
1850
1750
1650
1550
1450
1500
1850s Florence Nightingale
1939-1945 Second World War
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Unit 11 What was it like for children living in
Victorian Britain?
What was life like for a poor child in the 1840s?
selling things on the street
working in factories
working in textile mills
working on farms
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Unit 11 What was it like for children living in
Victorian Britain?
Mills and factories employ children because they
are small and can get in between machinery to fix
things while the machines are still running.
This is very dangerous work and many children get
injured or sometimes killed.
Children are also employed because they are
cheap. They dont get paid as much as adult
workers
Other dangerous jobs include working in coal
mines, climbing up chimneys to clean them,
working outside on farms or on the streets in
freezing weather
The working hours are long, sometimes 12 hours a
day. This means that children dont have time to
go to school or play with their friends.
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Unit 11 What was it like for children living in
Victorian Britain?
Who helped to improve the lives of Victorian
children? This is Lord Shaftesbury. He was a
politician who was interested in helping factory
workers, including children. He was involved in
passing the Factory Acts of 1847 and
1850. These were laws which reduced the
amount of hours which children were allowed to
work. He also helped to set up Ragged Schools
which were schools for very poor children who
would otherwise be unable to get an education.
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Unit 11 What was it like for children living in
Victorian Britain?
Who helped to improve the lives of Victorian
children? This is Dr. Thomas Barnardo. While he
was working in East London during the cholera
outbreak of the 1860s, he realised how many
homeless children there were living on the
streets. In 1870 he opened a home for homeless
boys, and in 1873 opened a similar home for
girls. By the time of his death in 1905, he had
opened 66 homes, and rescued an estimated 60,000
homeless children. There is a childrens charity
called Barnardos which carries on this work
today.
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Unit 11 What was it like for children living in
Victorian Britain?
What was it like going to school at the end of
the nineteenth century?
Schools were often crowded, with as many as 40 or
50 pupils in a class.
The school buildings were usually draughty and
got very cold in the winter.
The teachers were very strict and used caning as
a punishment for bad behaviour.
Until 1891, parents had to pay for their children
to go to school!
There were no school dinners. Children had to
walk home at lunchtime to get something to eat.
Lessons usually involved chanting or learning
facts by heart.
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Unit 11 What was it like for children living in
Victorian Britain?
What was it like going to school at the end of
the nineteenth century?
inkwell pen
school bell
slate
If children misbehaved they could be caned. They
might also have to stand in the corner and wear
the dunces cap. A dunce was a word for a stupid
person.
dunces cap
cane
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Unit 11 What was it like for children living in
Victorian Britain?
How did different Victorian children use their
spare time?
hoop and stick
dolls house
spinning top
marbles
jack in the box
building blocks
Are any of these toys still used today?
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Unit 11 What was it like for children living in
Victorian Britain?
How did different Victorian children use their
spare time? Toys which used optical illusions
were popular among rich families in the Victorian
era.
This toy is called a thaumatrope. It is a
cardboard disc with a picture on the front and
another picture on the back.
If you spin the disc the pictures seem to combine.
front
back
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Unit 11 What was it like for children living in
Victorian Britain?
How did life change for children living in
Victorian Britain?
1833 Children could work no more than 10 hours
a day
1842 It becomes illegal for children to work
underground
1874 It becomes illegal to employ children
under 10, and children under 14 can only work
part-time.
1881 It becomes compulsory for 5-10 year-olds
to go to school
1891 Primary schools become free of charge
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