England, Cheshire, School Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains an index to school admission records from the county of Cheshire for the years 1796-1950. These records contain about 1.9 million names from 120 schools. For a list of the schools included in this collection, see Cheshire School Records List.

Schools for the working class were organized by churches in England, primarily by the Church of England in the early nineteenth century. In 1870, the British government took responsibility for education, and by 1880 school was required for children between 5 and 10 years old. The age of mandatory attendance was raised to 12 in 1899, to 14 in 1918, and to 15 in 1948. Between World War I and World War II, working class children attended elementary schools, middle class children attended grammar schools, and upper class children attended public schools.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
School Records may contain:
 * Name of the child
 * Date of admission or re-admission
 * Date of birth

If possible look for an original record. It may contain more information than the indexed record, such as:
 * Admission number
 * Address
 * Name of last school attended
 * Academic progress
 * Date of withdrawal
 * Cause of withdrawal

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching, it is best to know the following information:
 * Name of the person
 * General date of the record

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the information to approximate a date of birth. Search in church and civil records for birth and christening records
 * If the names of parents are available, look for the family in censuses
 * If in the appropriate period, use the information which has been discovered to find the individual in civil records
 * Continue to search the index to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Try variations of given names and surnames. An individual might have been listed under a middle name, a nickname, or an abbreviation of their given name
 * Names were often spelled as scribes heard them. Pay attention to how the name should have been pronounced and try spelling variations that could have that pronunciation
 * Vary the search terms. For example, search by either the given name, surname, or expand the date range to return broader list of results which can then be examined for matches
 * Search the records of nearby locations
 * Lancashire to the north
 * Derbyshire to the east
 * Staffordshire or Shropshire to the south
 * Welsh counties of Denbighshire and Flintshire to the west

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Cheshire.
 * Cheshire Guided Research
 * England Record Finder
 * England Research Tips and Strategies

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.