At the end of February I issued a report on the Prefects' activities during the first half of the academic year just concluded. Its sole material achievement was the corridor notice board. More important, however, was the interest it aroused, both inside and outside the Prefect Body.
This is one of my reasons for presenting this report on the 1961-2 Prefect Body, referred to collectively as “'Prefects" throughout.
We started last September with ten Full Prefects, eight of whom had about nine weeks' experience as Sub-prefects, and two with no previous experience of the job.
Our number has remained about twenty throughout the year, since new members were appointed only a few days before seven left at Easter. The proportion of scientists rose from 40% to 48% during the year, but in the Prefects' Room there has been no mention of the popular Syllabus controversies, and the only difference apparent between students of the two cultures was that some had P.S. periods whilst others didn't.
Although lack of experience has caused occasional difficulties, it has limited prejudice against new ideas.
It is quite clear that the exclusive use of a room contributed much to the spirit and effectiveness of the Prefects. The extent to which Sub-prefects used the room resolved itself satisfactorily by a process of natural selection early in Autumn Term, but unnatural assistance was required to achieve the same end during Summer Term.
Our intention to preserve the existing amenities and introduce new ones worked well. Butchering the furniture affords only marginal and ephemeral pleasure. Table-tennis was revived, and tiddley-winks and darts introduced, the latter causing less risk to life and property than I originally envisaged. A radio-gram was installed but the offer of a television rejected. Coffee making and consuming facilities have been well used, but limited owing to lack of a convenient water supply.
Since early May, the Prefects have had the use of a teakwood bench, presented by C.J.S. Brearley. It is situated on grass behind the building, but owing to cool weather has not been used much for P.S. outside.
Since acquiring the corridor notice board, we have been able to pass more information on to the School, including a map of university places and full details of games results. Current numerical information on the Test Matches was exhibited on the A.I.T.S. which I hope to make available for use next year.
Cricket stumps were issued for use during the dinner hour in Summer Term, but the service was withdrawn temporarily while some unreturned stumps were traced.
Between 104 and 132 formal duties are to be done each week, depending upon the weather. The provisions for cancelled Wednesday games have only been necessary three times.
For the first two weeks of Autumn Term, we worked to a provisional rota which distributed duties as evenly as algebra allowed. Duties were exchanged within the same scheme to fit in the Prefects' other activities, and the same rota was operative until April.
After the new appointments at Easter, a completely new rota was similarly introduced for Summer Term.
Privately arranged substitution and spontaneous replacement of absentees has worked well, but was not practicable when many were absent, as during external examinations. For these periods (14 out of the 34 normal working weeks) I arranged modifications to the rota with reference to previous and projected absences, so that each Prefect did about the same number of duties during any one term.
Most absences were during the December and March Scholarship exams when temporary Sub-prefects were appointed to replace some of the absentees. These periods are useful for observing the performance of potential Prefects.
During the two weeks of G.C.E. exams, when the fourth and sixth forms had only to attend for papers, and many of the fifth were also away, fewer duties were scheduled. Assisted perhaps by the duplicated "reminder sheets", the Prefects carried out their duties efficiently even at odd and inconvenient times.
By the end of Lent Term, 85% of those who had applied for university admission had secured places. Academic discussion increased in the Prefects' Room, however, after Easter and the influx of Sub-prefects from the lower sixth preparing for 'A' level, but rarely became oppressive.
It was forecast at the beginning of the year that once he had a definite university place, a Prefect would probably care less about the School's recommendation which had helped him to gain acceptance, and the enthusiasm apparent at first would decline.
Interested by this, I kept a careful record of each Prefect's position in seeking university admission, and tried to correlate it with his performance as a Prefect.
The forecast was completely fallacious. Particularly impressive was the careful way in which leavers arranged substitutes even for dinner duty on Friday 27th July.
The Prefects have recourse only to a very limited range of punishments, but used carefully and thoroughly, these can deal effectively with most offences against the disciplines which are to be enforced by the Prefects alone. Detailed statistics and conclusions are of limited interest, and are therefore available in a supplement to this report, together with a survey on the use of homework rooms, in which most of the offences have occurred.
Numerous meetings of varying duration have been held, all of them concerned mainly with introducing new approaches to our regular duties, arranging special duties (e.g. help with athletic sports and games afternoons) and outlining the programme of future duties and activities. Although invited, criticism and suggestions have never been forthcoming on these occasions.
Subscriptions have been paid by the Full Prefects each term to cover regular expenditure on coffee and table-tennis balls, and on other occasions for specific items, including the dinners and party.
Sub-prefects who wished to play table tennis during Summer Term contributed one shilling each.
A bank account has been opened, proving useful for the custody of Dance ticket money. I hope this will be carried on in the future.
All members, including those who left at Easter, contributed a total of thirty shillings for a book to be presented to the School Library. A copy of the new edition of Roget's Thesaurus (price 30/-) has been bought.
The total turnover during the year exceeded £65, and a bank account was opened for the custody of some of this.
The suggestion that the Full Prefects should dine together informally at Christmas was seized upon, materialising in an excellent dinner at the Rutland Arms Hotel, Bakewell, on 29th December. The journey home by road on snow and ice was quite eventful.
This event, which has come to be regarded as an institution, was held on Thursday, 13th January at the Greystones Palace Ballroom. 206 people entered.
It was described as "a social success but financial failure". Since however, the chances of social success of such a dance are greatly enhanced by not too large a crowd, whilst financial affluence requires the sale of about 300 tickets, the two are hardly compatible.
Tickets were sold at three shillings each, plus one free with each block of twelve. Two complimentary tickets, together with an offer of further tickets for sale, were sent to the Head Boys/Girls of eight of the local Grammar schools. All except three replied, two returned the tickets, but none sold any for us. We have since sold tickets for one of them, and advertised without success one behalf of another.
We are very grateful to Mr Hemming for his advice before the event, and his excellent services as M.C.
It seems that mid January clashes with some schools' exams, and late Thursday evenings are reported to be a health risk to some girls, so it may be better to try a different date in future. Early July is also found by some schools to clash seriously with exams.
Out of the proceeds, we bought a year's subscription to "Which?" for the School Library, a practice which may well be continued.
On Friday, 13th April, twelve Full Prefects and a guest dined together in the Victoria Room of the Maynard Arms Hotel. I believe that Mr Mackay was the very first guest in the long tradition of KES Prefects' Dinners. The food and subsequent informalities were most enjoyable, our entertainment being assisted by the arrival of three uninvited reporters. Our write-up in the "Sheffield Telegraph" the next day was totally inaccurate, but, fortunately, harmless.
Although we found the food inferior to that offered by the Rutland Arms, a helpful O.E. manager was a great advantage.
To pay for the food and wine, we each had to supplement the surplus from the Dance by ten shillings.
Although all members of the 1961-2 Prefect Body were invited, owing to imminent exams, odd working hours, or holiday jaunts, only sixteen could come to the final informal gathering on Friday, 13th July. The Maynard provided an excellent light meal and its customary beverages, which together with premeditated and spontaneous entertainment made a memorable evening.
In October, the Prefects were beaten by a School soccer team by four goals to one. Since the Prefects are not selected solely for soccer prowess, whilst our opponents were the best eleven which could be mustered from the other 760 Edwardians, defeat in a serious game of soccer was not surprising. We were also defeated by a team of Staff and guest students on a snow-covered pitch in early March.
The Tiddley-winks match versus Sheffield University on 17th February was far more serious them we expected. Defeat by 19 points to 9 was quite respectable for our very first game at the advanced form of tiddley-winks played by the universities.
After protracted negotiations, the University withdrew from a return fixture, and invitations were sent to four local Grammar schools. Owing to lack of time at the end of Summer Term, it was only possible to play the City Grammar School Prefects. On the Assembly Hall stage, an ideal pitch for players and spectators, the home team won by 16 points to 8.
A table-tennis match versus a strong Staff team in June resulted in heavy defeat for the Prefects, but this did not spoil the important aspect of the fixture.
Although proposed last September, the idea was abandoned after further consideration of the scope and value of a census this year.
There vas a factual census in 1960, and a census on the use of leisure in 1961. Since diplomacy prevented our asking many of the more interesting questions, I thought it would be better not to hold any census this year, so that a general census might be more acceptable next year. Changes over the longer period should be more interesting.
Much has been said about my type-written notices and communications. Since last September, I've produced over 130 sheets of quarto typing on Prefectorial business, which together with carbon and duplicated copies has totalled about 600 sheets. (Excluding this report) The G.P.O. has benefited by about 70 letters and countless telephone calls.
More important than any of this, however, has always been the gentle personal reminder. It's more effective.
Responsibility for the Prefects' welfare has now passed from me to P. N. Bell together with detailed information and advice about the Head Prefect's task. This does not mean that affairs cannot be managed perfectly well by completely different methods.
The Full Prefects intend to meet again in the future, including 28th December for a Christmas Dinner. I'll send details to those concerned early in December.
However long I made this report, it could not describe all the interesting facets of the K.E.S. Prefect system which have made my last year at school so enjoyable and literally stimulating.
Every new idea or effort concerned with the Prefects' activities in school or outside was received with such interest, enthusiasm and appreciation that I always felt that the work involved, though often heavy, was completely worthwhile.
Account was kept of punishments given by the Prefects during the year, and the table gives a numerical analysis of them.
Most punishments have been given for offensive behaviour in the homework rooms or dining hall, or for not wearing caps. All the 5G offences were in the dining hall, and a large majority of the trouble from 1(4) came in the homework room. Fifth special were mainly concerned with minor smoking offences. Third form cases declined in Summer Term when they were no longer required to wear caps, and fourth form, perhaps, due to exam pressure.
When studying these figures, it must be remembered that the use of formal punishments is not the only way of disciplining the School.
Although graphical presentation of individual performances has been of little value, the graph of the overall rate shows interesting trends.
Autumn Term's peak occurred when the new Prefects were establishing their position, but by November, the rate had settled to the same level as that predominant during Lent Term. An improvement in the weather as Summer Term progressed tempted more outside for their amusement during the dinner hour, and although misbehaviour may have been just as frequent, it was less noticeable. I don't think there was any decline in the standards demanded by the Prefects, because the usual minor offences were recorded.
A general wish to have affairs cleared up before the end of term explains the fall in the rate at the end of each term, especially Lent and Summer when many were about to leave.
Although essays have consistently been the most popular form of punishment, the use of "milk punishments" declined rapidly during the year, whilst setting lines became more common. Chores to enforce as punishment are difficult to find if milk duties are performed effectively, and this decline may be favourable comment upon such duties.
Use of the homework rooms by forms up to the fourth, as shown by signatures in the books, is summarised in the charts.
The index for a term = (Total number of entries) x 100/(no. of days in term x no. in form)
98% of the boys in these forms have used the rooms, and there has only been one enquiry from the Staff about boys present. There has been no invigilation on Wednesdays unless Senior Games have been cancelled. Since this applies to only 3 weeks out of 32, Wednesdays have been excluded from the figures.
From enquiry into each form's homework timetable, the proportion of homework set by the end of morning school can be calculated. It seems that the amount of homework known by dinner time has negligible bearing upon the use made of the rooms, and if the indices are corrected by these factors, no change is made to the pattern of the charts. All the junior forms have had most of their homework set by the dinner hour on Wednesdays, when invigilation is rarely possible.
It is difficult to think of explanations of many of the trends apparent from the charts - 2(2) for example - and I should welcome suggestions.
Most of the first forms increased their use during Lent Term as the novelty of work at home faded, and 1(4) use the facility more than the others because their form room is used for the purpose. Very noticeable is the decline in use by the ' 0' level candidates as the year progressed and written homework decreased. This also applies to 5G.
So far as I can ascertain, this is the first time that these subjects have been studied numerically, and figures over more than one year would be far more interesting.