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Events on Tuesday 9 August 1870 1
1870Elementary Education Act Passed in EnglandForster's Act establishes England's first state school systemThe British Parliament passed the Elementary Education Act on 9 August 1870, establishing local school boards empowered to build and fund schools for children aged five to twelve. Known as Forster's Act, it laid the foundation for a national system of elementary education in England and Wales. Attendance was not yet compulsory nationwide.