The child apprentices lived in the Apprentice House at Styal. They had to be aged nine or over to work at the Mill. In 1830 the Mill employed 100 children. They worked twelve hours a day for lodging, food, and clothes. In the Apprentice House the children were looked after by a superintendent. At the age of eighteen they were dismissed or employed as adult workers in the Mill.

The children working at Quarry Bank Mill came from different parts of England. They were cheap labour and trained to do simple tasks, e.g. cleaning under the machines, oiling, piecing together broken threads, changing bobbins.

In the 18th century the mill owners were not obliged to provide education for the apprentices. But at Styal teachers placed great importance on elementary education for the boys and girls. Reading, writing, domestic skills, and religious instruction were part of the the curriculum. The children were taught after work.