what happened to this during the nineteenth century?
Compulsory attendance at school ceased to be a matter for local option, with the introduction of the Elementary Education Act 1870 a milestone in the British school education system.
Raising of school leaving age in England and Wales
 In the latter part of the 19th Century, compulsory attendance at school ceased to be a matter for local option, with the introduction of the Elementary Education Act 1870 a milestone in the British school education system. Children had to attend between the ages of 5 and 10 though with some local discretion such as early leaving in agricultural areas.
when was school leaving age raised to 16 1 September 1972
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Raising of school leaving age in England and Wales [SEP] 19th century
Before the 19th century, there were very few schools. Most of those that existed were run by the church, for the church, stressing religious education. In the latter part of the 19th Century, compulsory attendance at school ceased to be a matter for local option, with the introduction of the Elementary Education Act 1870 a milestone in the British school education system. Children had to attend between the ages of 5 and 10 though with some local discretion such as early leaving in agricultural areas. The 1870 Act (commonly known as "Forster's Education Act" after its drafter William Edward Forster) applied only to England and Wales.