How to find school records and old school photos

While school records aren't as widely available as censuses or parish registers, more are being digitised and released online all the time. 

On Findmypast, you’ll find a growing collection of UK school admission registers and log books, covering thousands of schools across England and Wales between 1870 and 1914. These are especially useful if your ancestors were children during the late Victorian or Edwardian era. 

Scotland has a distinct educational history. While some school records are held by the National Records of Scotland, local archives and libraries often hold the most comprehensive collections. 

If you’re not sure where your ancestor went to school, census records can help you work backwards. UK censuses – available to search from 1841 to 1921 – list children's ages and addresses. These can be matched with nearby schools. 

The 1921 Census goes one step further, recording whether children were in education on a full-time or part-time basis. If you’ve located your ancestor in 1921, this could be a helpful starting point for tracing their school life. 

Due to poverty, orphanhood or social circumstances, your ancestor may have attended a charity school, religious institution, or even a workhouse school. These often kept detailed records, many of which are available to search on Findmypast. 

Such records can be especially revealing, noting living arrangements, training and discipline alongside academic life. 

While official school records rarely include photographs, newspaper archives are a rich source for old class photos and school-related imagery. 

Local papers often reported on: 

• Prize-givings 
• Sports days 
• Celebrations, like VE Day street parties or Easter parades
• Class photographs 

Search Findmypast’s newspaper archive using school names, place names, or your ancestor’s name. Try a wide date range and include terms like ‘school photo’, ‘prize day’ or ‘school party’ to improve your chances of finding a picture. Even if your ancestor isn’t named, a group photo from their time at school can still offer a valuable glimpse into their world. 

• Start with a location. Knowing where a child lived can narrow your search to nearby schools. 
• Use a wide date range. Children may have switched schools or returned to education later. 
• Be flexible with names. Look for initials, nicknames and common misspellings. 
• Explore siblings. One sibling’s record might mention the others. 
• Pair records with newspapers. They can add colour, context, and possibly images to your findings. 

Old school records and photos can bring your ancestor’s childhood into sharper focus – their surroundings, achievements, and daily life. While not every pupil left a lasting paper trail, those who did are waiting to be rediscovered.