Head Boy
The Head Boy and/or Head Girl is a role commonly used in the British education system, and in private schools throughout the Commonwealth.
It is position appointed by the Headmaster to a senior student to lead the interface between the student body and the school administration. A school for boys will have a Head Boy, while a school for girls will have a Head Girl. In co-educational schools, a Head Boy and a Head Girl will share this duty, splitting tasks based on the gender of the students involved.
The Head Boy or Girl will typically have the right to attend in an advisory capacity the school's equivalence of Board of Governors or Parent/Teacher Association (PTA) meetings. If the school uses the prefect system, the Head Boy or Girl will not only be one, but will lead it.
This position differs from Student President in schools that have a formal student government organization. While some Headmasters might poll the next year's senior students to who they would like to see as Head Boy or Head Girl, this is not considered a binding vote to who will get the position. Headmasters want not only someone popular with the student body, but also someone who both exemplifies what they consider a good student, and also someone that while sympathetic to the rest of the student body, will ultimately understand the position is an extension of the school administration. While the Head Boy and Girl typical do well academically, it is often more important that they are members of the school's major sports teams; Captain if possible. The Head Boy and Girl will often be sent to events as the school's lead representative, and is in charge of the students who are attending events as spectators in which the Head Boy or Girl themselves are not participating (e.g. cheering at a sporting event)
When the school has both boarders and day students the Head Boy or Girl will typically be a boarder, at least for their senior year if they were a day student before hand as they typically also have duties on the boarding side of this as well, such as overseeing meal queues etc.
Head Boy and Girl and spanking
As the leader of the prefects — in schools that allow prefects to give out punishment — the Head Boy or Girl can not only use the same punishments as the other prefects, but are often seen as the proper person to appeal to, rather staff, over a punishment given out by other prefects. Not only can they overrule the other prefects, they are typically not as limited in punishment options. This might manifest in the ability to use corporal punishment where normal prefects can not, or in the ability to use implements that are otherwise restricted from use. The Head Boy or Girl might also have authority to punish other seniors, which is typically not allowed to prefects.
See also
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