What is "ragged school"

Ragged \Rag"ged\ (r[a^]g"g[e^]d), a. [From Rag, n.]

1. Rent or worn into tatters, or till the texture is broken; as, a ragged coat; a ragged sail.

2. Broken with rough edges; having jags; uneven; rough; jagged; as, ragged rocks.

3. Hence, harsh and disagreeable to the ear; dissonant. [R.] ``A ragged noise of mirth.''
   --Herbert.

4. Wearing tattered clothes; as, a ragged fellow.

5. Rough; shaggy; rugged.

   What shepherd owns those ragged sheep?
   --Dryden.

   Ragged lady (Bot.), the fennel flower ( Nigella Damascena).

   Ragged robin (Bot.), a plant of the genus Lychnis ( Lychnis Flos-cuculi), cultivated for its handsome flowers, which have the petals cut into narrow lobes.

   Ragged sailor (Bot.), prince's feather ( Polygonum orientale).

   Ragged school, a free school for poor children, where they are taught and in part fed; -- a name given at first because they came in their common clothing. [Eng.] [1913 Webster] -- Rag"ged*ly, adv. -- Rag"ged*ness, n.

n. (context UK historical English) A free school for poor children, where they were taught and in part fed.

Ragged schools were charitable organisations dedicated to the free education of destitute children in 19th-century Britain. The schools were developed in working-class districts of the rapidly expanding industrial towns. In 1844, the Ragged Schools Union was established to combine resources throughout the country, providing free education, food, clothing, lodging and other home missionary services for these children.

The ragged school movement grew out of recognition that charitable and denominational schools were not beneficial for children in inner-city areas. Working in the poorest districts, teachers (who were often local working people) initially utilised stables, lofts, and railway arches for their classes. There was an emphasis on reading, writing, arithmetic, and study of the Bible. The curriculum expanded into industrial and commercial subjects in many schools. It is estimated that about 300,000 children went through the London ragged schools alone between 1844 and 1881.

There is a Ragged School Museum in the East End of London showing how a ragged school would have looked; it is housed in buildings previously occupied by Dr Thomas Barnardo.