PIKES Lane School has an interesting and long history in Bolton.

The 1870 Education Act set up school boards which were responsible for the building and running of schools in their own area.

In 1872 a bill was passed which stated that children must have received education until they were at least 12 years old.

The school boards appointed attendance officers to make sure children went to school.

Before this act only children from wealthy families received education — they either had governesses or went to fee-paying schools.

The majority of children from working class families received little education before the 1870s. They went out to work when they were just seven or eight years old as not only could their families not afford to pay for education they needed the money their children could earn for them. Children were, however, always very poorly paid and the jobs they did were often highly dangerous such as climbing and cleaning chimneys, working in the mines or cleaning floors underneath machines in the mills. The Education acts of the 1870s were far more effective in stopping this exploitation than the Factory Act had been.

Pikes Lane Board School was the first purpose-built board school in Bolton. It opened in June 1875 although the stone above the main entrance was dated 1874.

To commemorate the opening of the school the street running parallel to the front yard was named Board Street. In the late 1800s, when Pikes Lane was built, the whole school was probably taught in one big room. When it opened there were more than 900 pupils attending the school.

There would have been very little equipment and few books in the classroom. Much of the teaching was done by repetition.

Slates would have been used, rather than paper.

Older girls would be utilised as pupil-teachers which was the first part of their training to become teachers. This was one of the few careers open to women in the 1870s and 1880s. Some children would only attend school part-time which meant they would work in the morning and then go to school in the afternoon.

The school originally served heavily populated areas of terraced houses to the south and west of the school, but many of these streets have now been demolished.

Empire Day was officially first recognised in 1902 when the Earl of Meath inaugurated the festival as a means of training children in good citizenship.

May 24 was Queen Victoria’s birthday and was a school holiday in the British Empire. It was known as Empire Day until 1958 when its name was changed to Commonwealth Day, although it is not celebrated in schools these days. Here are some extracts from Pikes Lane School records: “On May 21, 1920 the children sang Empire songs and danced in the playground and went home at 3.20pm.”

“On May 24, 1923 the children were lined up in the playground and sang patriotic songs for Empire Day. Most children carried flags and many parents were present. The National Anthem was sung and cheers brought the proceedings to a close.”

Did you attend Pikes Lane School and do you have fond memories you would like to share? If so ring Gayle McBain on 01204 537269 or email gmcbain@theboltonnews.co.uk