British Preparatory Schools: Specific Activities--Student Government
Figure 1.--Here the headboy and one of the prefects chat in front bof the school after classes. Notice the enbroidered patches on their jumpers.
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One especially interesting observation is that in the cradle of modern Western democracy, prep schoolsake a rather authoitarian approach to student government. The officers (prefects and head boy) at a prep school are appointed rather than elected. One important activity at American schools is student government. It is an interesting difference between a British and American preparatory school. Considerable empasis is given to student government in American schools and the children theoretically learn the principals of democratic elections by electing their own student body president and other officers. At some Northeastern schools most influenced by British forms the officers may be called prefects, but almost always they are elected by the student body. Most English prep schools have no similar activity, althogh a few, such as Beeston Hall, do have an elected council. The headmaster and teachers do select a head boy/girl and prefects. Some schools have different names for them. Beachborough, for example, calls them captains. Whatever the term, these students generally serve to give the older children experience in leadership by assisting the masters in enforcing the school rules. At modern schools the authority of the student prefects is much reduced, but esentially serve the same purpose. I remember one master counseling a newly appointed prefect who was barking orders to junior boys filing into an auditorium about how to better lead them to their seats. Such an experience differs sharply from American schools where student government is basically designed to provide a forum for expressing student views to the school administration.
