Book excerpt: During the nineteenth century there was a tremendous expansion of education in England and Wales. A combination of voluntary rffort and government action led to the introduction of a system of elementary education for the working class. This book traces the development of Victorian schools and reveals the evolving role and status of the teacher, and the schoolroom environment itself. Using contemporary sources, Trevor May explores life in the schoolrooms of Victorian England and Wales, the ways in which lessons were planned and taught, and the equipment and teaching resources that were employed.