Education (Scotland) Act 1872
| Act of Parliament | |
| Long title | An Act to amend and extend the provisions of the Law of Scotland on the subject of Education. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 35 & 36 Vict. c. 62 |
| Territorial extent | Scotland |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 6 August 1872 |
| Commencement | 6 August 1872 |
| Other legislation | |
| Amended by | |
| Relates to | Elementary Education Act 1870 (E&W) |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Text of the Education (Scotland) Act 1872 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. | |
The Education (Scotland) Act 1872 (35 & 36 Vict. c. 62) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that made elementary education for all children between the ages of 5 and 13 mandatory in Scotland.
The act achieved a more thorough transfer of existing schools to a public system than the Elementary Education Act 1870 (33 & 34 Vict. c. 75) in England. It created popularly elected school boards which undertook a significant building programme. The act remains controversial because it caused substantial harm to the Scottish Gaelic language. At the time it was criticised because it did not deal with secondary education and because it did too little to safeguard the tradition of the parish schools in Scotland.