Ballydown National School
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Ireland's National School system was established in 1831 with the joint aims of making literate the mass of the population and of educating together children of all religious denominations. There was provision for separate religious education, outside normal school hours, by the various ministers of religion.
By the early 1860s the interdenominational character of the National Schools had largely disappeared in the face of opposition from denominational church and clerical interests. This school was built in 1865 on land adjacent to and owned by Ballydown Presbyterian Church. As well as producing textbooks for use in schools, the Commissioners for National Education published a series of architectural plans for use by local groups receiving grant aid for school-building.
The Ballydown school was built to "Plan No. 3 - for 100 children on the rolls", a plan published in 1858. The desk accommodation seems minimal for 100 pupils but it would be only on rare occasions that all 100 children would be present because of illness, truancy, duties of work and other factors.
We should also consider that education was very regimented. At any time during the day, there would have been children standing at the front of the room reciting their lessons, or receiving instruction under the close supervision of the one and only teacher. The rest of the children required a lower level of supervision as they did such work as arithmetic or writing exercises in the desks
Original location: Ballydown townland, Banbridge, County Down.
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