Sheffield has one of the best surviving collections of early board schools in England, unparalleled outside London. Following the 1870 Education Act, Sheffield's newly elected School Board vigorously set about constructing new schools, completing 39 before its demise in 1903. Charles J. Innocent (1839-1901) was appointed architect to the Board and he, together with his partner, Thomas Brown (c. 1845-81) were responsible for 19 of the 22 schools built between 1873-1881. The first of them and, it was claimed by the architects, the first commenced under the 1870 Act, was Newhall School, Sanderson Street. By 1877, attendance at the new schools had reached 31,000.

To find out more Sheffield Local Studies Library has a typescript handlist of the Sheffield Board Schools prepared by Stephen Welsh, giving brief details, dates and references.