Until he was ten, young Alexander Fleming attended the nearby Loudoun Moor School. He was then transferred to Darvel School which he attended with his brothers. Alexander learned a good deal about nature during that four mile downhill hike to school and the four mile uphill return trip. He was a quick student and at twelve, the age limit prescribed for Darvel school, he was sent to Kilmarmock Academy. Two years later he joined his brothers John and Robert at the home of his elder brother Thomas, who was to become a successful occultist in London. However, the economic success of the family was yet to be and Alexander was forced to leave school for economic reasons. When he was sixteen, he obtained a job in a shipping company. Good fortune, however, was on his side and on the side of humanity. In 1901, he received a share in a legacy which made it possible for him to return to school. He decided to study medicine. 
“…..and at twelve, the age limit prescribed for Darvel school …” in this context means that children were