Royal Commission, under chairmanship of the Duke of Argyll, investigates the condition of Scottish education. 1st report P.P. 1865 XVII; 2nd report P.P. 1867 XXV; 3rd report P.P. 1867-68 XXIX.

Provision for a systematic and uniform inspection of Higher class public schools (that is, schools managed by local authorities) by the Education Department, but other priorities prevented its implementation.

Labour Certificate ran from 1878-1901 and permitted children aged 10-13 to leave school after passing certain tests set by His Majesty's Inspectors of Schools (HMI).

1st Leaving Certificate has 972 entrants from 29 schools. Examinations in 6 subjects - English (which includes history and geography) Latin, Greek, French, German and mathematics (including arithmetic)

Three grades -

Honours grade corresponding to that required for entrance to the Indian Civil Service. (discontinued in 1908 when group certificates were introduced).

Higher grade corresponding to the standard maintained in the examinations preparatory to the degree courses at the Scottish universities - satisfactory completion of at least 3 years post-primary education.

Lower grade corresponding to the standard of the Medical Faculty Preliminary Examinations. Lower Certificate given at age 14 on completion of two years post-primary. The need for such a certificate disappeared when in 1939 the leaving age was raised to 15.

Open to all pupils 13 or over on satisfactory completion of the elementary course in the Three Rs (reading, writing and arithmetic), 2 class subjects - English, history, geography, needlework and elementary science and one specific subject.

A grouping requirement meant that a student would receive a certificate only if they passed a specified range of subjects - e.g. English, mathematics, a language and a science. The rules varied over time, but typically 2 of these passes had to be at Higher level and the other 2 at Higher or Lower level.

Intermediate Certificate awarded for 1 Higher + 3 Lowers - 2-year course, minimum age 15. Development of Higher Grade schools as a means of radically extending secondary education: the start of the First World War, around 200 of these schools had been set up, supplementing the approximately 50 older Higher class schools and independent schools. Despite the name, the Higher Grade schools at first offered only the Intermediate Certificate

947 School Boards abolished and replaced by an ad hoc Education Authority elected every 3 years, set up in 35 counties and 5 burghs. For the first time provision is made for secondary education for all pupils, by enabling most of the 200 Higher Grade schools to be recognised as providing full 5-year courses. Provided for the transfer of all remaining religious schools to Education Authority management: since most schools of the Presbyterian churches had transferred to the School Boards after 1872, this provision mainly affected Roman Catholic and Episcopal schools.

Scottish Education Department (SED) continues to operate largely from the office in 14 Queen Street, Edinburgh, although the official address of the Department remains in Whitehall. This unofficial move meant that Scottish education was now administered much more by people living within the country who could be in regular contact with schools and with the new Education Authorities.

Scottish Council for Research in Education 1928-2003: a Short History (PDF)

Around 770,000 children attending school in Scotland.

Scottish Office officially moves to (Old) St Andrew's House in Edinburgh. Within the new structure, the SED was under (Sir) James W Peck.

The Act states that all forms of education, within Education Authority schools, should be free unless the authority judged that charging fees would not restrict the number of free places available.

Transfer of pupils from primary to secondary school now compulsory at about the age of 12. School leaving age should be raised to 15 on 1 April 1947 and to 16 as soon practicable (although this did not come about until 1972).

Practical subjects come into prominence.

Highers continued essentially unchanged (as they had done since 1888).