In the late 1800s, it was recognised that there was a need to provide an organisation that would:


As a response the Teachers Benevolent Fund, and the Orphanage and Orphan Fund were finally formed in the late 1870s. The purpose of the Funds were to grant temporary relief and funds in cases of emergency; to make grants to the widows and orphans of teachers; and in special cases to grant annuities to elderly or incapacitated teachers.

The Funds were raised via the donations and annual subscriptions of teachers, “friends of education” and from the general public. Funds were also raised through concerts and other entertainment events.

The first balance sheet records the “measure of the gifts they gave in sympathy and compassion for those who were battling with the rough places of life – perchance to some who were soon to be in the valley of the Great Shadow”.

Fifty years on this starting point was proclaimed as a “small beginning truly, yet enshrining that little grain of the seed of human kindliness that has rooted and grown into how great a tree…!”

The Teachers’ Benevolent Fund
The next major change for the organisation occurred in 1899, when the two Funds joined to become the “Benevolent and Orphan Fund of the National Union of Teachers” – otherwise known as the Teachers’ Benevolent Fund, a name that many existing and retired teachers will still be familiar with.

Benevolent assistance: Annuities for retired teachers, and families of deceased teachers

Financial figures from the late 1800s to early 1900s demonstrate a rise in use of the service. It is interesting to note that female recipients of money is higher than male – this was due to the fact that recipients included male teachers; female teachers; and widows and families of deceased male teachers. The maximum amount awarded to a man was £30 in a year, and £25 to a woman.

To note that the “woman annuitants include both retired mistresses and the widows of masters who have fallen by the way, and left their families more or less unprovided for.”

These grants provided for “…the aged, the incapacitated, the helpless; and for widows of their fallen comrades”. It was clear that this service greatly assisted many teachers and their families - “How much harder would have been life’s difficult places for these and their dependants had there been no “B&O” to come to the rescue!”

The limit of £30 for men and £25 for women was retained until 1902, when the limit became £30 for men and women alike, which was raised in 1904 to £35 per person annually. In 1919 in response to post war living, this was increased again to £40 and since 1921 remained at £52 until the end of the 1920s.

Serious and expensive cases
In addition to assisting retired teachers, or families of deceased teachers, there were applications for “serious and expensive cases”. The reasons for applying for assistance for these cases were similar to those today in that mental health figured highly, but physical health also played a part. For example 80 years ago in 1927, the main reasons for contacting the service were as follows:

• Nervous breakdown: 394
• Consumption: 295
• Operations: 167
• Rheumatoid arthritis: 87
• Cancer: 17

The Benevolent service therefore was concerned with meeting “…passing circumstances of need, sickness, breakdown or financial stress,” much the same as our current service today.

Assistance for orphans
In 1884 the first boys’ orphanage was opened at The Poplars in Peckham Rye and accommodated up to 40 boys. In 1887 the first girls’ orphanage was opened in Sheffield at Firs Hill.

One of the interesting things to note was that no uniform was adopted for the children in the homes as there was a wish that they “… should appear as members of a family rather than as inmates of an Institution.” The building costs of these homes stood at £30,000 with £10,000 annual maintenance costs. This service has since been shut down.

The Teacher Support Network today
The Teacher Support Line was introduced in 1999, and The Teachers’ Benevolent Fund was renamed the Teacher Support Network in 2001. Although these words come from 1927, 80 years ago, the reports we have had from teachers who have used our services demonstrate that they still ring true today:


Additionally, in the same manner as today, “…we do not give in the hope that one day we may receive. Rather do our subscriptions partake of the nature of thankofferings for the blessings of health and strength and a fair share of the good
things of life vouchsafed to us.”

Furthermore, the organisation still...


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