Dame schools were different—some were day care facilities overseen by women who were not literate, but other schools taught the students how to read and write. The differences of Dame schools in England were shown in 1838 by the Statistical Society of London that found almost half of all children surveyed were only taught spelling, with few being taught mathematics and grammar. Dame schools became less common in Britain after the introduction of compulsory education in 1870. Schools that were below government-specified standards of tuition were closed.