Editing Clement Attlee (section)

====Education====
The Attlee government ensured provisions of the [[Education Act 1944]] were fully implemented, with free secondary education becoming a right for the first time. Fees in state grammar schools were eliminated, while new, modern secondary schools were constructed.<ref>Hopkins, Eric. ''Industrialisation and Society: A Social History, 1830–1951''.<!--publisher, page(s), ISSN/ISBN needed--></ref>{{page needed|date=May 2024}}

The school leaving age was raised to 15 in 1947, an accomplishment helped brought into fruition by initiatives such as the [[HORSA]] ("Huts Operation for Raising the School-leaving Age") scheme and the S.F.O.R.S.A. (furniture) scheme.<ref name="lib-161.lse.ac.uk">{{cite web|url=https://digital.library.lse.ac.uk/Documents/Detail/next-steps-in-education-a-discussion-pamphlet-based-on-a-report-to-the-fabian-education-group-1949/101438 |title=Next Steps in Education}}</ref> University scholarships were introduced to ensure that no one who was qualified "should be deprived of a university education for financial reasons",<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SqHbQYSsGvUC&q=ellen+wilkinson+free+school+meals&pg=PA21|title=Education Policy|access-date=9 January 2016|isbn=9781446271568|last1=Abbott|first1=Ian|last2=Rathbone|first2=Michael|last3=Whitehead|first3=Phillip|date=12 November 2012|archive-date=24 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224170009/https://books.google.com/books?id=SqHbQYSsGvUC&q=ellen+wilkinson+free+school+meals&pg=PA21#v=snippet&q=ellen%20wilkinson%20free%20school%20meals&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> while a large school building programme was organised.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0mSpBQAAQBAJ&q=ellen+wilkinson+university+scholarships&pg=PA120|title=The Home Front in Britain|access-date=9 January 2016|isbn=9781137348999|last1=Lomas|first1=Janis|date=29 October 2014|publisher=Springer|archive-date=24 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224170025/https://books.google.com/books?id=0mSpBQAAQBAJ&q=ellen+wilkinson+university+scholarships&pg=PA120#v=snippet&q=ellen%20wilkinson%20university%20scholarships&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> A rapid increase in the number of trained teachers took place, and the number of new school places was increased.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SqHbQYSsGvUC&q=Tomlinson+was+successful+in+increasing+the+number+of+new+school+places&pg=PA22|title=Education Policy|access-date=9 January 2016|isbn=9781446271568|last1=Abbott|first1=Ian|last2=Rathbone|first2=Michael|last3=Whitehead|first3=Phillip|date=12 November 2012}}</ref> Under the Education Act of 1946<ref>[https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo6/9-10/50/enacted#:~:text=1946%20CHAPTER%2050,Libraries%20Acts%2C%201892%20to%201919 Education Act 1946 1946 CHAPTER 50]</ref> and the Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1948,<ref>[https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo6/11-12/40/enacted Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1948 1948 CHAPTER 40]</ref> local authorities were empowered to provide clothing to pupils.

Increased Treasury funds were made available for education, particularly for upgrading school buildings suffering from years of neglect and war damage.<ref name="autogenerated2">Jefferys, Kevin. ''The Labour Party since 1945''.<!--publisher, page(s), ISSN/ISBN needed--></ref>{{page needed|date=May 2024}} Prefabricated classrooms were built, and 928 new primary schools were constructed between 1945 and 1950. The provision of free school meals was expanded, and opportunities for university entrants were increased.<ref>Hartley, Cathy. ''A Historical Dictionary of British Women''.<!--publisher, page(s), ISSN/ISBN needed--></ref>{{page needed|date=May 2024}} State scholarships to universities were increased,<ref>Pelling, Henry & Alastair J. Reid. ''A Short History of the Labour Party''.<!--publisher, page(s), ISSN/ISBN needed--></ref>{{page needed|date=May 2024}} and the government adopted a policy of supplementing university scholarships awards to a level sufficient to cover fees plus maintenance.<ref name="lib-161.lse.ac.uk"/>

Many thousands of ex-servicemen were assisted to go through college who could never have contemplated it before the war.{{sfn|Munro|1948}} Free milk was also made available to all schoolchildren for the first time.<ref>Oddy, Derek J. ''From Plain Fare to Fusion Food: British Diet from the 1890s to the 1990s''.<!--publisher, page(s), ISSN/ISBN needed--></ref>{{page needed|date=May 2024}} In addition, spending on technical education rose, and the number of nursery schools was increased.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zaD1Gn0Wls0C&q=labour+government+1945-1951+nursery+schools+increased&pg=PA244|title=Democratic Socialism and Economic Policy: The Attlee Years, 1945–1951|author=Tomlinson, Jim|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge, UK|page=244|year=1997|access-date=21 July 2012|isbn=9780521892599|archive-date=24 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224170007/https://books.google.com/books?id=zaD1Gn0Wls0C&q=labour+government+1945-1951+nursery+schools+increased&pg=PA244#v=snippet&q=labour%20government%201945-1951%20nursery%20schools%20increased&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> Salaries for teachers were also improved, and funds were allocated towards improving existing schools.<ref name="autogenerated1945">Pritt, Denis Nowell. ''The Labour Government 1945–51''.<!--publisher, page(s), ISSN/ISBN needed--></ref>{{page needed|date=May 2024}}

In 1947 the [[Arts Council of Great Britain]] was set up to encourage the arts.<ref name="google7">{{cite book|title=Freedom and Faith: A Question of Scottish Identity|author=Smith, D.|date=2013|publisher=St. Andrew Press, Ltd|isbn=9780861538133|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iYb-AQAAQBAJ|page=54|access-date=5 October 2014}}</ref>

The [[Ministry of Education (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Education]] was established under the 1944 Act, and free County Colleges were set up for the compulsory part-time instruction of teenagers between the ages of 15 and 18 who were not in full-time education.<ref>Hodge, B. & W.&nbsp;L. Mellor. ''Higher School Certificate History''.<!--publisher, page(s), ISSN/ISBN needed--></ref>{{page needed|date=May 2024}} An Emergency Training Scheme was also introduced which turned out an extra 25,000 teachers in 1945–1951.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:YdHEFfT32noJ:campbeltowngrammar.org.uk/downloads/history/5_year/british_higher/labour-reforms/i-assessment/1945-1951_labour_government.doc+%E2%80%9CPrefab%E2%80%9D+classrooms+were+also+built+and+928+new+primary+schools+were+constructed+between+1945+and+1950&hl=en&gl=uk&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESgaOtfB49c9TMEFcKCx0vUvwvLMyzSWQ9JMXlhiobC4Nc_-tDp2dZDqxDPSU6ylDlCONx_3vjFQ7Fc3VaJMijATeUPQ9lRI_EbAVSjjKj4Wb-s5sWyh0gIQ-oyKgx9L9VZIEDfB&sig=AHIEtbTl0DuRvchpzLCqCLa8NHX25FRRPA|title=Powered by Google Docs|access-date=2 October 2011|archive-date=12 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112212628/https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:YdHEFfT32noJ:campbeltowngrammar.org.uk/downloads/history/5_year/british_higher/labour-reforms/i-assessment/1945-1951_labour_government.doc+%E2%80%9CPrefab%E2%80%9D+classrooms+were+also+built+and+928+new+primary+schools+were+constructed+between+1945+and+1950&hl=en&gl=uk&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESgaOtfB49c9TMEFcKCx0vUvwvLMyzSWQ9JMXlhiobC4Nc_-tDp2dZDqxDPSU6ylDlCONx_3vjFQ7Fc3VaJMijATeUPQ9lRI_EbAVSjjKj4Wb-s5sWyh0gIQ-oyKgx9L9VZIEDfB&sig=AHIEtbTl0DuRvchpzLCqCLa8NHX25FRRPA|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1947, Regional Advisory Councils were set up to bring together industry and education to find out the needs of young workers "and advise on the provision required, and to secure reasonable economy of provision".<ref>''Whitaker's Almanack'', J. Whitaker & Sons, 1987<!--page(s); ISSN/ISBN needed--></ref>{{page needed|date=May 2024}} That same year, thirteen Area Training Organisations were set up in England and one in Wales to coordinate teacher training.<ref name="educationengland">{{cite web|url=https://education-uk.org/history/timeline.html|title=Education in England – Timeline|author=Gillard, Derek|publisher=educationengland.org.uk|access-date=5 October 2014|archive-date=19 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110819075553/http://www.educationengland.org.uk/history/timeline.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Attlee's government, however, failed to introduce the [[comprehensive education]] for which many socialists had hoped. This reform was eventually carried out by [[Harold Wilson]]'s government. During its time in office, the Attlee government increased spending on education by over 50 per cent, from £6.5&nbsp;billion to £10&nbsp;billion.{{sfn|Beech|Lee|2008}}