Ellen’s main concern was to raise the school leaving age to 15 … [She] had to find 5,000 extra classrooms and train 13,000 more teachers for the expected extra 390,000 pupils. The Labour Cabinet, hard-pressed by post-war financial limitations, were disinclined to allocate sufficient money … And when she realised there was no money to build new schools she devised special pre-fabricated huts to accommodate the new pupils. A one-year Emergency Training Scheme provided the teachers. Ellen faced complaints from Labour MPs and others that [this] would dump hordes of ill-trained teachers on the schools.
Women's History Network
For anyone with a passion for women’s history
Women’s History Network is an inclusive organisation that celebrates diversity