Smoking provides another example of behaviour which schools regarded as serious, particularly among younger pupils.
A respondent aged twelve recalled being caught smoking in 1969.
More Than a Classroom Rule
Smoking differed from talking or running because it extended beyond classroom order.
It concerned behaviour which adults regarded as inappropriate for children and which also presented obvious health and safety concerns.
The House System
The 1969 case was dealt with by a housemaster.
This illustrates again the importance of the house system in some secondary schools.
The housemaster could possess substantial disciplinary authority over pupils belonging to his house.
Boys and Girls
The incident involved more than one pupil and included girls.
The survey account indicates that the girls were dealt with separately by a senior mistress.
This is an interesting example of the same offence passing through different branches of the school’s disciplinary structure.
The Respondent’s View
The male respondent considered the punishment effective and stated that he was not punished again for smoking.
This does not prove that he never smoked again.
It records his answer to the survey question concerning repetition of the offence.
That distinction should always be preserved.
Reputation and Seriousness
Smoking could also damage a pupil’s reputation with staff.
A child discovered smoking might be regarded as engaging in behaviour associated with older adolescents or adults.
Teachers could therefore interpret the offence as evidence of broader defiance.
Changing Attitudes
The survey is concerned with the practices of its period.
The importance here is not to impose later attitudes upon the evidence but to record how schools themselves classified the offence.
Within the accounts examined, smoking by a young pupil was clearly treated as a serious disciplinary matter.
