The 1944 Education Act guaranteed free education for every child in England and Wales. It also divided schools into primaries and secondaries and aimed to raise the school leaving age to 15 and, as soon as practicable, to 16.n the mid 20th Century, girls and boys were educated separately in secondary school and there was very little education for those with special needs. This, when changed, caused controversy, because people believed girls were not as clever as boys, and should do different subjects.