Roman Schools

Most children did not go to school.

Schools were not free in Roman times, parents had to pay for their children to have a tutor or teacher. The poor Romans couldn't afford to educate their children so the boys learned a trade from their fathers and the girls learned household skills such as sewing and cooking from their mothers.

Schools were built in towns and there were not many of them, so many wealthy parents employed a slave, who was well educated, to teach their sons. The slave was called a pedagogue.

When did the children go to school?

Both boys and girls went to school from ages 6-12.
Lessons began at dawn and were finished by early afternoon.

They learnt to read and write Latin.

Did the children have exercise books?

The Romans did not have school books, instead they wrote on wax tablets using a pointed metal stylus . If they made a mistake, all they had to do was smooth the wax flat with the opposite end of the stylus.

Children in Roman Britain (Click to Open)