Here children learn that although national schools began in Ireland in the 1830's hedge schools or private schools continued. Such was the faith that many parents had in the education provided by them that even when free primary education was introduced in Ireland in the 1830's they continued for a time to send their children to hedge schools rather than to national schools . Children also find out about schools of the Kildare Place Society. (More can be seen on this society in the unit Looking at Schools Raheny)
Within section 4 children learn that the primary school system came into existence in 1831 when the National Board of Education was set up. They will find out when national schools began.
Some evidence is shown of this process through the presentation of an application to the National Board for permission for a national school to be set up..
TEACHING METHODS IN DIFFERENT SCHOOL TYPES OF THE 19TH CENTURY
When children have completed this section teachers might draw attention to the fact that different schools, namely hedge schools, schools of the Kildare Place Society and national schools, had different ways of teaching.
They should know that hedge schools had an emphasis on individual instruction because individual parents paid the hedge school master. (The unit on hedge schools explained that a range of ages from young children to nineteen year olds were taught by hedge school masters.) Children are shown evidence of monitors being used by the schools of the Kildare Place Society. They can see that generally individuals were not taught by the teacher in these schools. It is explained that the reason for this was that classes were usually very large. The National Schools from the 1830's are shown to have used the simultaneous method of teaching which meant that all the children were all taught by the teacher.