York National School Society

• Minute Books, 1843-1872, 1886-1894, 1929-1940

The York National School Sub Committee was established in 1843. This committee was to manage the national schools within York and ensure the provision of weekly visits and religious instruction by the clergy. By the 1880s the name had changed to the York National School Society. By the 1940s, church schools were suffering from a lack of capital investment. The 1944 Education Act offered a way of improving the financial position of church schools. By becoming 'Voluntary Controlled', schools could gain extra funding in exchange for greater state control, or by becoming 'Voluntary Aided', schools could maintain greater independence but receive less state funding. The 1944 Education Act also imposed on all state schools a requirement to undertake a daily act of collective worship. Since the 1944 Education Act, Church of England Schools have been in decline and the work previously done by the York National School Society at diocesan level has been transferred to the Diocesan Board of Education.