Student Council Minutes 21/1/2003

Present: Basheer, Clausen-Thue, Cordes, Gifford, Granger, Henniker, Jouzy, Marmot, Morante, O’Boyle, Reizenstein, Thompson, Viita, Zinkin

Absent: Coffer, Espin, Fink, Furniss, Vandervolk

Detentions

Given the recent court case in Scotland about the rights to detain pupils at school, the Council discussed detentions policy and St Paul’s. The majority were in favour of some form of punishment, and felt that being kept after school to work was a preferable punishment to something more unpleasant and unproductive. However, it was noted that there seemed to be some staff who would devise peculiar punishments that were widely felt to be excessive. Few were concerned for the issue of rights, though it was suggested that parents should be informed when juniors were to be detained.

It was recognised that detentions were not a very effective form of punishment, particularly in the upper years. It was also noted that most detentions did not involve specific work, and that Undermaster Detentions took place unsupervised. This was viewed by some to be unsatisfactory.

It was pointed out that SPGS does not have a detentions system, and they only resorted to punishment in serious cases; it was felt by some that this system was more mature, but would not work well at SPS, where minor disobedience was a more common problem. Others thought the detentions system was often petty, and undermined rather than strengthened the rules. The Council had no specific recommendations.

Highmaster Appointment

The council discussed the issue of the appointment of the next High Master, and has been asked to produce some ideas on his nature and role. It will be focusing on this over the coming weeks. 

Changing Rooms

The Council was pleased by the installation of a tannoy and bell in the Changing Rooms. However, it was observed that many of the locks on the toilets were either being vandalised or were breaking from overuse, and asks for them to be replaced as soon as possible.

January Examinations

The Council discussed the school’s policy on sitting exams in January. It was felt that the school did not sufficiently support those re-sitting papers in January outside school; though some staff were very supportive, it was not clear that this was always so, and it was felt there ought to be an official system for coordinating this.

The school’s practice of not taking modules in January was also questioned. Some thought it would be beneficial that papers be sat immediately after the module was studied, as the material was fresher, particularly for maths and science subjects. Some argued that their marks would have been improved by such a practice, and that the school’s policy was thus unwise.

It was suggested that sitting papers in January would significantly disrupt the academic year, and be very chaotic. However, it was recognised that some schools managed the logistics without difficulty.

Mr Woodruff will be consulted about the official line for discussion next week.

American Football

The Council has received requests for American Football as a games half. Mr Jaine will be consulted, but the Council had reservations about safety, the cost of equipment, pitches, popularity, and training.

Graduation Ceremony

The proposal for the U8th Graduation Ceremony has emerged. The Council did not receive any precise details, but it seemed to involve a short meeting in the Wathen Hall, followed by dinner and drinks for staff, parents, and boys. The Council will explore the topic further next week.

609 Bus

It was observed that there are still difficulties with the 609 Bus Service to the Harrodian School, and some incidents have apparently occurred. The system seems to be that there is one 609 that is non-stop to the Harrodian, which Paulines are not allowed to use, and another 609 that runs the normal service. However, this was not known to be a London Transport change, rather than an agreement among the schools. The Council seeks clarification from the Surmaster on the issue.

The Council awaits Ben Reizenstein’s promised list of issues around the subject of individual liberty next week.