Illustration of an infant class

The history of infant schools in Great Britain began in 1816, when the first infant school was founded in New Lanark, Scotland. It was followed by other philanthropic infant schools across Great Britain. Infant teaching came to include moral education, exercise, and an authoritative but friendly teacher. Infant schools increased the education that many children received before leaving school to work. State-funded schools in England and Wales were advised in 1840 to include infant departments. Infant education came under pressure to achieve quick academic progress, notably through rote learning. Beginning in 1905, infant lessons in England and Wales shifted towards more child-centred methods of teaching, where education was meant to reflect the preferences of children. The child-centred approach reached its peak following a report in 1967. In 1988, a more centralised curriculum was introduced. The term "infant department" was used widely in Scotland in the 1960s but is no longer much used there. (Full article...)

Les Holden (6 March 1895 – 18 September 1932) was a fighter ace of World War I. He joined the Australian Light Horse in May 1915, serving in Egypt and France. In December 1916, he volunteered for the Australian Flying Corps and qualified as a pilot. As a member of No. 2 Squadron, he gained the sobriquets "Lucky Les" and "the homing pigeon" after a series of incidents where he limped back to base in bullet-riddled aircraft. Holden was awarded the Military Cross, achieved five aerial victories, finishing the war as an instructor with No. 6 (Training) Squadron in England, earning the Air Force Cross. After leaving the Australian Flying Corps in 1919, he became a manager at Holden's Motor Body Builders. He joined the part-time Citizen Air Force before starting an air service as a commercial pilot. In 1929, he located Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm in the north-west Australian desert after the pair were reported missing. Holden died while a passenger in a plane that crashed in Australia. (Full article...)