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Recreation.
Cricket, football, rounders, and other games are played
on the ten-acre playing field at week-ends all the year round
and during the evenings from about March to October. Walks,
picnics, and rambles are conducted when the weather is favourable,
and flower gathering and blackberry picking expeditions
are organised. During the winter months indoor games, such
as draughts, dominoes, and other table games are played in
the dining hall, while table tennis is very popular in the rest
room. There is also an excellent library of boys' books for
those who prefer to read. On one evening weekly throughout
the winter lantern entertainments are given, the boys selecting
the subjects from the hirers' catalogues.
Bank and Tuck Shop.
Money brought to the School by the boys or sent to them
is placed in the School Bank, which is conducted by one of the
teachers. The boys are then allowed to withdraw a small sum
twice weekly, which may be spent at the School Tuck Shop,
where sweets and chocolates of good quality are supplied at
approximately wholesale prices.
Discipline.
As an aid to discipline a mark system is used, whereby
each boy commences the week with 20 marks, some or all of
which may be lost by breaches of discipline. If a boy goes
through the week without losing a mark he is allowed to go
to the neighbouring town of Ongar for an afternoon in the
following week, and to spend some of his bank money there.
About 50 per cent. of the boys often win this privilege. At
the end of each month the best two boys, as shown by the
mark list, are given a special treat. Occasionally a boy who
has lost an unduly large number of marks is not allowed to
attend the lantern entertainment, or is withheld from football
or cricket on Saturday afternoon. A number of boys act as
monitors.
(10) Physical Training.
There is no organiser of physical training, but drill, physical
exercises and games are organised and supervised by
individual teachers in the Elementary Schools.
There is a well-organised Schools Sports Association, composed
of members of the Education Committee and Teachers,
who superintend the various sports sections among the
children, such as swimming, football, netball, cricket, boxing,
etc. Notable successes have fallen to West Ham in these
various branches of sport among its scholars.
J