Description:Norton School was a “reformatory” where boys were sent if the had committed a crime such as stealing or being a vagrant (that is moving from place to place stealing or begging to live). It was not a day school, the children lived there all the time and could not leave until the end of their sentence. The boys were trained in trades such as shoemaking and carpentry so that they could earn their own living when they were adults, whilst the girls learnt domestic skills such as sewing and cooking so that they could run their own homes or earn their living by becoming servants in other people’s homes. The children grew a lot of their own food, and spare food and some of the items they made were sold to raise money. In this way the children contributed actively to the costs of their own care.
Questions to think about: What can the photo tell us about what children did while they were in a home? Why do you think they received training? Does it look like school or home? Who benefited from this work do you think?