For KS2 and kids

The Victorians for ages 7 to 11

A queen, a glass palace, steam trains and very strict schools. Here are the Victorians, step by step.

For teachers and parents

At Key Stage 2, one suggested study is the changing power of monarchs, using case studies such as John, Anne and Victoria. GOV.UK (DfE): National curriculum in England, history programmes of study · checked 30 Oct 2026 Other Key Stage 2 examples include a significant turning point in British history, such as the first railways, and changes in an aspect of social history, such as crime and punishment. GOV.UK (DfE): National curriculum in England, history programmes of study · checked 30 Oct 2026 At Key Stage 1, the national curriculum suggests comparing significant people such as Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria. GOV.UK (DfE): National curriculum in England, history programmes of study · checked 30 Oct 2026 Florence Nightingale is also among the Key Stage 1 examples of significant individuals. GOV.UK (DfE): National curriculum in England, history programmes of study · checked 30 Oct 2026 This page and the printables are written to fit these suggested themes.

The Victorians in six steps

A new queen. She became queen at the age of 18. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Victoria, queen of the United Kingdom
Steam power. By 1800 perhaps 2,000 steam engines were at work in Britain. British Library: The Industrial Revolution
Railways. In 1833 he was made chief engineer of the Great Western Railway. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Isambard Kingdom Brunel
A glass palace. Over six million visitors came to the Great Exhibition in London’s Hyde Park during its five and a half months in 1851. V&A: The Great Exhibition of 1851
School for everyone. In 1880 elementary schooling was made compulsory for boys and girls, and the age was raised to 13. British Library: Education in Victorian Britain
The end of the reign. She died on 22 January 1901 at Osborne, near Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Victoria, queen of the United Kingdom

Our drawing of a Victorian-style schoolroom. Can you find the blackboard, the clock and the slates?

Ragged schools were charities that aimed to give free education to poor children. British Library: Education in Victorian Britain By 1861 ragged schools were teaching over 40,000 children in London. British Library: Education in Victorian Britain

Some schools used the Lancaster system, where the brightest pupil taught what they had learned to other pupils. British Library: Education in Victorian Britain

Many children were sent from workhouses or orphanages to work long hours in factories. British Library: The Industrial Revolution A working day of 12 hours was not uncommon in factories. British Library: The Industrial Revolution

Florence Nightingale (born 12 May 1820, died 13 August 1910) was a British nurse, statistician and social reformer. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Florence Nightingale Her night rounds of the wards made her famous as “the Lady with the Lamp”. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Florence Nightingale

Chance Brothers of Birmingham supplied 293,655 panes of glass. V&A: The Great Exhibition of 1851
Britannica says one million “pop” bottles were consumed at the Great Exhibition. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Great Exhibition of 1851
She found out during a history lesson, aged 10, that she would one day be queen. Her governess later said that Victoria replied: “I will be good.” Encyclopaedia Britannica: Victoria, queen of the United Kingdom
No ship was bigger than the Great Eastern for 40 years. It laid the first successful transatlantic telegraph cable. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Isambard Kingdom Brunel