Disciplinary cases were considered at a prefects’ court held on Wednesday mornings.
Names accumulated in the prefects’ book during the week. When the court assembled, a privileged sixth-former would enter the appropriate classroom and politely announce:
“The prefects would like to see ——, please, sir.”
The wording may have sounded courteous, but the summons was not optional.
The boy concerned would be escorted to the prefects’ room, situated in a tower at the top of the school, and would wait outside until called.
One former pupil remembers appearing before this court after being caught running across a quadrangle where boys were required to walk. He had forgotten a textbook and was hurrying back to collect it.
For a nervous first offender, the ceremony itself was intimidating enough. He remembers entering the room and seeing the prefects’ book and the implements associated with the school’s more serious punishments upon the table.
Fortunately for him, the offence resulted only in lines.
