368 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE, ETC. 
‘Every Friday morning there is a period given to Form work. During this 
time the interests of the Form are considered; representatives are elected to 
serve on School Committees; order is discussed; suggestions ave freely offered 
of new methods, and criticism of unsatisfactory methods is freely given. The 
record of the Form is noted. Stars are lost for disorder, gained for good work 
(gains and losses being recorded for the orm, not for the individual). A girl 
is generally chairman on these occasions, another girl secretary. In some Forms, 
if time allows, news of public interest is contributed by different members. 
‘It is an axiom that girls are responsible for their own order, but in the 
actual working mistresses take an active share. We try for /ree Order; some- 
times the freedom tends to become licence; sometimes the order is too tight; 
but we are, I am sure, only doing what is being done by many other schools 
where there is a strong feeling that it is a matter of gigantic importance that 
girls should recognise, both in theory and practice, that there is work for all 
loyal citizens, and that it is their business to begin to know its character and 
how to tackle it.’ 
SECTION III. 
From Bedales School. 
‘1. Class Teaching in Citizenship.—Occasional lessons have always been given, 
in connection with the ordinary History course, on our Constitution and the 
various branches of government, and in particular on the growth and working 
of local government. We are now proposing to combine these into an annual 
course of at least one lesson a fortnight for the upper classes, so that all, 
before they leave school, may have some knowledge of the Public Services and 
the way they work. 
‘2. Parliamentary Debating Society.—For some years the whole School has 
met twice or three times in each of the winter terms to debate on matters of 
public interest under Parliamentary forms. There is a Speaker (a member of 
the staff of the School), a Government, consisting of Prime Minister and other 
Ministers, and a recognised Opposition, sitting on opposite sides of the hall, 
and the rest of the School on cross-benches. All posts are open to both sexes 
alike. <A Bill is brought in by the Minister-in-Charge, and, after debate, is 
voted on, and the Government stands or falls by the result. If defeated, a 
new Government is formed by the leading party in opposition. There are 
several parties, with differing programmes, not necessarily on the same lines 
as the actual Parliamentary parties. Such questions have been debated as 
Women’s Suffrage, an Education Bill, the Nationalisation of Mines, &c., and 
Soviet v. Parliamentary Government. The debates are keenly prepared and 
conducted, there is never any lack of speakers, and the time has usually to be 
extended to allow of all sides being heard. 
‘3. School Government.—A large part of the actual government of the School, 
both executive and legislative, is in the hands of the boys and girls themselves. 
There are two grades of prefects : School prefects, who have full authority and 
can punish at their own discretion, subject to appeal to the Headmaster; and 
House prefects, whose authority is limited and their punishments checked by 
the Housemaster or Housemistress. All prefects are appointed, not elected 
by the School. Similarly, head and vice dormitory captains are appointed each 
term. Form captains are usually elected by the members of the Form, or 
they can ask the Form Master or Mistress to appoint one, if they prefer. In 
addition, we have for several years had a School Parliament, composed of two 
members, a boy and a girl, elected from each Form, the head boy and girl 
ex officio, all the Form Masters and Mistresses, and the Lady-in-Charge of the 
Girls’ House, meeting once a fortnight under the presidency of the Headmaster. 
There are thus twenty-four members of the School and twelve members of the 
Staff. The purpose of the Parliament is to discuss, and periodically revise, the 
School Rules; to deal with new questions laid before it by the Headmaster or 
raised by any of the members, and to make new rules as required; to deal with 
serious or unusual matters of discipline; and to discuss from time to time the 
principles on which the School rests, and their application in its rules and 
traditions. 
‘In practice, after a year or two of keen and active Jife, in which the School 
Rules were thoroughly revised, there was a period of disappointment and lack 
