University of Portsmouth

This began as the Portsmouth and Gosport School of Science and the Arts in 1869 predominately to train the engineers and skilled workmen needed to work at both the city docks and the Naval dockyard. Following World War II, the college diversified its syllabus to attract new students and, in the 1960s, was given the power to award its own degrees being renamed Portsmouth Polytechnic.

In 1992, following a government higher education initiative, it was granted University status and has since been known as the University of Portsmouth. It retains however its original business focus having faculties of Business, Creative and Cultural Industries, Humanities and Social Sciences, Science and Technology.

The beginning of State education

Portsmouth was one of the first areas in Hampshire to set up a School Board following the passage of the Elementary Education Act in 1870. Board members were local people directly elected by voters each having as many votes as there were places to fill. In Portsmouth 11 new elementary schools were built in 1870 – New Road, Cottage Grove, Swan Street, Flying Bull Lane, Eastney Road, Fratton Street, Kent Street, Church Street, Conway Street, Albert Road and Portsmouth Town. This great period of exertions was followed by a slack period in the next decade, due in part to the growing dissatisfaction of rate payers over the greatly increasing expenditure on education. In fact, the Education Department threatened to stop Government Grants altogether if the Portsmouth Board did no spur itself on to greater activity. Portsmouth Records Office I162