(From the Wennington School Magazine 1951-52)
"THE SCHOOL SENATE"
The Senate was first instituted in May 1949. We could not call it the Council because its members would then have been confused with Counsellors, our long-established name for prefects. It has two representatives from each of Forms 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, one representative of Form 6 and all the Counsellors. Frances and Kenneth are ex-officio members and two other Staff representatives have a right to vote. .Representatives are elected annually, but if a senator resigns or proves unsatisfactory, the form concerned can elect some-one else.
The secretary and chairman are members of the School. From the start the Senate has aimed at being a representative body governing many aspects of School life. While there are certain limits to its authority, these have become wider as the Senate has proved its competence. The Form Senators are representatives, not delegates. Matters are freely discussed in Form meetings and the representatives state the Form’s opinion but are not themselves restricted by it. They have to report back and justify to their Forms their actions in the Senate.
The Senate inquires into rules and amends or abolishes them if they prove unnecessary. Regulations such as those about bounds can be altered, and the efficiency (or lack of it) in the housework or any other scheme can be discussed and where possible improved. One of its early schemes was the building of the Tuck Kiosk in the Common Room.
Until Spring, 1950, the Senate had been held informally but then it was felt that more formality was needed. Resolutions then passed required that the meetings should be held in the English Room with the chairman and secretary sitting at a table facing the senators. As in a public meeting, the senators must now speak to the chair and only when called upon. When the chairman calls order, all senators must remain seated and silent. A definite formula must be used when proposing a motion or amendment. This has proved cumbersome for younger members and tends to be overworked by many older ones. It proves valuable, however, in making the work of the Senate clearer and more definite.
The Senate’s most ambitious work was the introduction of a new ‘bed-time scheme last Summer Term. Till then Forms went to bed at half-hourly intervals with a master on duty and two senior "bed-putters" patrolling the dormitories and landings. Under the new scheme we .arranged that Forms 2 and 3 should be in bed by 9 o’clock and Forms 4, 5 and 6 in bed by 10.30 p.m. Form l’s bed-time remained under the supervision of the matrons, and Counsellors had no limits, subject to their using this freedom wisely. The winter times are half an hour earlier. There was to be no speaking in dormitories or bathrooms, so that those going to bed early would not be disturbed.
At first many staff and most of the School felt that it was’ most improbable that children could be trusted with so much freedom in choice of bed-times. The first few days were very satisfactory; the dormitories were in complete silence from 7 o’clock on, so that many people went to bed- early and got to sleep’ quite undisturbed. The general feeling was that the restrictions and discipline necessary to make the scheme work were worth the freedom it provided. Towards the end of the fortnight’s trial people slackened, the dormitories were frequently noisy and lights were on after 8 o’clock, which had been decided as the dead-line. Kenneth found it necessary to be "on patrol" in the evenings and he was continually having tonag and chivvy people to pull their weight. This meant that as an example of self-government the scheme was failing. So a "Watch Committee" was set up, composed of one boy and one girl from each age-group, with power to suspend the new scheme if conditions justified it. It was empowered to deal with groups or individuals who persistently sabotaged the scheme.
The scheme still exists and though there are times when it seems to weaken, it is far better than the old system with its excitement, noise and patrolling.
The Senate is sometimes accused of not really representing the School and of getting into a "huddle" of its own. To counteract this it was decided in May, 1951, that a "public gallery" should be admitted to the Senate, not more than one member from each form. These onlookers must be silent throughout. They could see for themselves the Senate was not dominated by the Staff, or the courage of the younger members undermined by seniors. The quality of the meetings certainly varies but in general the Senate has contributed to -true freedom in the School, if only in its right to make many decisions which were previously made by the Staff in Staff meeting—a fact which is easy to forget. The early history of a democracy is usually chequered, for the qualities and attitudes required to make it work well are only slowly developed.