Tickets are now on sale for the next in Rushen Heritage Trust’s season of talks.

Professor Angela W. Little will present ’One hundred and fifty Years of "Education for All"’.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the 1872 Isle of Man Act for Public Elementary Education, which introduced compulsory education in the island - eight years ahead of England and Wales - and transferred control of education from the church to the state.

It paved the way for improvements in the quantity and quality of teachers, the abolition of school fees, and the extension of an independent system of education.

In her talk, Professor Little will explore questions around the introduction of the act in relation to the island as a whole, with special reference to the parish of Rushen.

The talk is at the Erin Arts Centre on Monday, March 7, starting at 7.30pm.

Professor Little is professor emerita at University College London’s Institute of Education, a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and a past president of the British Association of International and Comparative Education. She was educated at Rushen Primary School and Castle Rushen High School and wrote the chapter on education in Rushen Heritage Trust’s 2019 book, Living with the Sea, which tells the story of how Port St Mary developed between 1829-1979.

Tickets for the talk cost £5 (£4 for Friends of Rushen Heritage Trust) and are available from the Erin Arts Centre, Erin News and Bridge Bookshop in Port Erin.

Erin Arts Centre is encouraging visitors to wear face masks if they wish and to use the hand sanitiser provided.

The trust recommends doing a lateral flow test before attending the talk.

For more details contact John Quirk at [email protected] or on 464634.

Professor Angela W. Little will present ’One hundred and fifty Years of "Education for All"’.