School Bosses Face Questions

Governors of the Royal School, Wolverhampton, faced searching questions today when they met for their annual meeting.

Two old boys and a colleague from Hull tried to open a debate on the way the school's trust funds are being administrated.

Mr. Tony Edwards, a new subscriber to the school, pointed out that £1,694 had been spent on publicity and prize day expenses. He had understood that some of the money was to have been used on advertising places in the school for orphans.

He would like to know, he said, where the advertisements had appeared, and how many had been placed.

"Too Long"

The chairman, Mr. F.O. Skidmore, replied that the figure of £1,694, did not include anything for advertisements.

He said a few minutes later: "We cannot go into this. It would take too long. You can be sure that everything that refers to the scholarship fund is in order."

Later, when Mr. Peter Bate, an old boy of the school, stood up to comment on whether or not the school's constitution was being adhered to he was told by the chairman: "I am afraid you are too late. The meeting is closed."

Reviewing the events of the school year earlier, Mr. Skidmore said the visit of the Queen Mother to open the new extensions had been "memorable".

"I think it has really been a vintage year," he said.

17 November 1970

Governors At Royal May Face Lawsuit

Subscribers to the Royal Wolverhampton School are threatening to take the governors to law over the way today’s annual meeting was conducted. In the stormy hour-and-a-quarter session, several young subscribers – some of them old boys – made repeated attempts to have motions put to the vote.

Mr. A. Edwards, said he was most concerned that, like last year, there had been no chance for examining the annual report and accounts before the meeting.

Subscribers had a duty within the constitution to make recommendations for consideration by the governors, but the constitution might well also mean that subscribers could say what they liked, yet the governors would do as they pleased.

“We have the unfortunate position where the subscribers have been removed from their position as the sovereign body and have been relegated to commentators,” he said.

He said no provision had been made for discussing matters arising from minutes and claimed that no formulated rules existed for the conduct of the meeting.

He suggested a sub-committee should be set up to work out standing orders for such occasions, comprising two subscribers, two governors, and a governors’ chairman – who would have the casting vote.

The chairman, Mr. F.O. Skidmore, said he could not allow the motion to be put, pointing out that the governors had made rules for the meeting and could not permit this power to be taken from their hands.

Mr. Skidmore said he knew Mr. Edwards did not think the rules gave a proper chance to express views, and he gave an assurance that these rules would be considered.

As far as making the annual report available earlier, he explained the difficulties of preparing the document in time for the meeting, between the end of the school year on July 31 and the date of the meeting.

Later, he added: “You assume the rules do not give the subscribers any chance, I deny it. They give subscribers every opportunity.”

Court Plea

He also said there had been a chance to see the annual accounts in the week before the meeting this year.

Eventually, the motion accepting the accounts and report was given its majority – with eight subscribers voting against, including Mr. Edwards and seven young subscribers sitting with him.

Mr. Edwards stepped forward and added: “We have a constitutional requirement to be here, and I certainly intend to apply to the courts to require you to reconvene this meeting at another time so the motions you have not had put this time will be put.”

30 December 1970

Head bans two Old Boys

Two Old Boys of the Royal Wolverhampton School, the leaders of a group considering legal action to force through administrative reforms – have been banned from the premises.

The ban has been imposed by headmaster Mr P.C. Howard, to prevent the two men attending meetings of the influential Old Royals Committee, of which they are members.

It also bars them from attending the annual meetings of subscribers to the independent school, because like the committee meetings, they are held on school premises.

One of the two banned committee members, Mr. Peter Bate – he was the school’s deputy Head Boy in 1963-4 called the decision “petty and stupid” today.

“I have a democratic right to be seen and heard. I would think, legally, they cannot stop me attending the annual meetings. But obviously this ban has been imposed to keep me away from the committee meetings. One can only assume they have something to hide.”

A spokesman for the Royal School said today, that the decision was entirely that of the headmaster.

Mr. Howard, he explained, was an ex-officio member of the Old Royals Committee, and felt in a very difficult position when he had to sit with members who were taking legal action against the school. This was why they had been barred from the premises.

Mr. Howard was not available for comment.