British Preparatory Schools Photo Essays: Bed Time
Figure 1.--Usually there is a bell of some sort and the children know just when their bedtime is. There is rarely any fussng about it, but the younger children would prefer to stay up longer. Quite a few go to bed a good bit earlier than at home. After a bath or wash the children are allowed a little quiet time in their dormitories before lights out. As the younger children re put to bed first in a staggered schecule. The older boy have some free time in the evening which they can use in a variety of ways.
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Getting the children washed and off to bed is a major undertaking each evening. The schools have it down to a carefully orchestrated military operation. This is all overseen my matron. The children's bed-times are staggered by age so the younger children go to bed a little earlier. As the younger children are put to bed first in a staggered schecule. The older boys have some free time in the evening which they can use in a variety of ways. Each age/class group has their set washing up and bed time. Usually there is a bell of some sort and the children know just when their bedtime is. There is rarely any fussng about it, but the younger children would prefer to stay up longer. Quite a few go to bed a good bit earlier than at home. After a bath or wash the children are allowed a little quiet time in their dormitories before lights out. The children may read or chat quitely with each other. Then there is a lights out time in hich they are moy allowed to talk and expected to go to bed. The children have a full day of activities and thus most quickly fall off to sleep.
The children are put to bed in a staggered schecule. The younger boys go to bed first which means that they do not have a lot of free time in the evening. The older boys do have some free time in the evening. This varies by age. The mddle forms hve only limited time. Thus there is not enough time to do very much. The senior forms have more time and thus have enough time fr a range of activities. Usually the prefects are given a little extra time. The childre can use the time in a variety of ways. Different children use this time in variety of ways. The actual amount of time varies by age. Some schools have the childen do a good deal of prep. At other schools the children are given freetime to persue as they see fit. There are computers available. Some children play board games. Some schools make the gymnasium avilable for a varirt of factivities. Some children read. Often the library or reading room is available. Some work on class assignments.
Getting the children washed and off to bed is a major undertaking each evening. The schools have it down to a carefully orchestrated military operation. This is all overseen my matron. The children's bed-times are staggered by age so the younger children go to bed a little earlier. Each age/class group has their set washing up and bed time. Usually there is a bell of some sort and the children know just when their bedtime is. There is rarely any fussng about it, but the younger children would prefer to stay up longer.
Quite a few go to bed a good bit earlier than at home. This is something the younger children in particular take a while to get used to. Of course parents have a wide range of rules and expectations about bed time vor the children. But for the most part the children are used to going to bed later thn school bed times, in some cases a good bit later. And at home there is the constant distraction of television. And most of the children have computers and other divrsions in their bed rooms that can deaw their attention at night.
After a bath or wash the children are allowed a little quiet time in their dormitories before lights out. The dormitories vary from school to school, but there has been a definite effort to make them for confortable and homey in recent years. The children normally have colotful blankets or duvets. Most of the children have cherished teddies of various shapes and forms. Earlier even the younger boys did not bring their teddies to school as they would be tesed. Now even the older boys have no problkem with keeping their teddies. The children may read or chat quitely with each other. Then there is a lights out time in hich they are moy allowed to talk and expected to go to bed. The children have a full day of activities and thus most quickly fall off to sleep.
