Education in Norman England (AQA GCSE History)

Summary

The Norman Conquest led to improvements in education in England. The number of schools increased and England’s first universities were established under Norman rule. Schools and universities initially grew out of Church institutions like monasteries and education was only available to the children of the very rich. 

Education in Anglo-Saxon England

• Very few people in Anglo-Saxon England received a formal education

  • Almost everybody who did was educated by monks or nuns

• Education had to be paid for, meaning only the rich could afford it

  • Monasteries did educate some local boys in exchange for them becoming servants

  • Girls were not educated

• Instructions from the king, or writs, were written in English

  • However, the language of the Church and its services were in Latin

  • Therefore, the Church educated its pupils in Latin

Changes to education in Norman England

• As the number and size of towns in England grew under the Normans, so did the demand for education

  • The merchants in these towns wanted their children to be literate and numerate so they could become successful traders

• At the same time, changes to monastic rules meant that children had to be educated outside of monasteries

  • This meant that separate school buildings were built in towns

  • There were 75 schools in England by the start of the 13th Century

• Under the Normans, education was conducted in French instead of Latin or English

  • However, all writing continued to be done in Latin - the language of the Church

Grammar schools in Norman England

• Grammar schools were established in England under the Normans

  • They were attended by boys from the age of 10

  • Pupils studied at grammar schools for at least four years

  • The length of time they stayed depended on their future career

• The main focus of children’s studies was the language of Latin

  • The name grammar school comes from the detailed understanding of Latin grammar that the students were taught

• The school year began in September and was made up of three terms

  • The day began at dawn and continued until late afternoon

  • No girls were taught in grammar schools

Universities in Norman England

• England’s first universities were established under the Normans in the 12th and 13th centuries

  • Oxford and Cambridge were the first universities in England and were founded by the Church

  • Universities reflected the growing interest in knowledge and education all across medieval Europe

• All students studied the subjects of arithmetic, grammar, rhetoric, logic, geometry, music and astronomy

  • They then advanced and specialised in subjects such as theology, law or medicine

  • Theology was viewed as being the most important of all the subjects

• All lectures, lessons and writing were completed in Latin

  • Latin was the international language used by universities all across Europe

• All students were male and almost all were members of the nobility or Church