The 1870 Education Act filled the gaps in the voluntary system. The country was divided into 'school districts' which were the municipal boroughs such as Sheffield, or the civil parishes, such as Norton. Each district provided school places for one sixth of the population and every school district was inspected for deficiencies. If the required number of places were not provided, an elected School Board would levy a rate to establish and maintain public elementary schools. A school attendance officer would enforce the attendance of children between the ages of 5 and 12, and school fees of up to 9d per week, from which the children of the poor were exempt. The Board also had the right to determine the nature of the religious instruction in its schools, although parents could withdraw their children if they wished.
The ratepayers of Norton did not relish the idea of having to pay rates to build schools and on Monday 5th December 1870 a meeting was held under the chairmanship of Francis Westby Bagshawe. In the parish of Norton, accommodation was required for 500 children. Greenhill National School was able to accommodate 100 and Norton Free School 100 leaving a shortfall of 300. There were two ways to make this good; by voluntary subscription or by the setting up of a School Board.
Mr. Edward Welby, the Sheffield stipendiary magistrate, who lived at Norton House, proposed that a committee of gentlemen be appointed to collect subscriptions and carry out the intentions of the Act. The committee agreed to canvass the parishioners at once, the amount required was £600. At the next meeting on 12th December, it was reported that only a few people in the parish were willing to give donations for the erection of schools and the amount promised was only £249. After much discussion, the meeting broke up without coming to any decision suggesting that they should 'eat their Christmas dinner first', before meeting again. Soon after Christmas, the matter seemed to have taken a turn for the better when at a meeting held on 16th January 1871, it was agreed to sell by auction land known as Bocking Fields at the top of Bocking Lane. The proceeds were to be used for the erection and maintenance of schools in the parish and contributed towards the cost of building the school now called Mundella Place or Mundella School, which started its life as Derbyshire Lane School in 1874.