National schools, established by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland government, post the Stanley Letter of 1831, and were intended to be multi-denominational. The schools were controlled by a state body, the National Board of Education, with a six-member board consisting of two Roman Catholics, two Church of Ireland, and two Presbyterians.
In Ireland, a national school is a type of primary school that is financed directly by the state, but typically administered jointly by the state, a patron body, and local representatives.
In national schools, most major policies, such as the curriculum and teacher salaries and conditions, are managed by the state through the Department of Education and Skills. Minor policies of the school are managed by local people, sometimes directed by a member of the clergy, as representative of the patron, through a local ‘board of management’. Most primary schools in Ireland fall into this category, which is a pre-independence concept.
These amazing photos from Public Record Office of Northern Ireland that show national schools in Northern Ireland in 1907.
| County Antrim. Bellahill School, 1907 |
| County Antrim. Bridge End School, 1907 |
| County Antrim. Carrickfergus Model School, 1907 |
| County Antrim. Craigs School, 1907 |
| County Antrim. Cullybackey School, 1907 |
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