What's a Dame School?

Dame schools were small, privately run schools for young children that emerged in the British Isles and its colonies during the early modern period. These schools were taught by a “school dame, ” a local woman who would educate children for a small fee.

Who would go to a dame school?

Dame Schools was a common tern used to describe small private schools that provided an education for working class children before they were old enough to work. These schools were usually run by an elderly woman who taught the children to read and write and other useful skills such as sewing. Fees were about 3d.

What is the difference between a dame school and a grammar school?

If their parents could afford it, after attending a dame school for a rudimentary education in reading, colonial boys moved on to grammar schools where a male teacher taught advanced arithmetic, writing, Latin and Greek.