What part of this makes you think of indentured servitude? We didn't work to live there. It wasn't a payment of debt. It was part of our chores and we were paid allowance- actually paid more than I made in allowance at home. I think the point of the extra work for punishment was an old school way of pointing out the reality of your life if you continued to make shitty choices (sort of a 'chain gang' metaphor) as well as keeping tight supervision on kids who were testing boundaries. If a kid won't make a choice to find something useful/productive/acceptable to do, then an activity will be provided for him. It will be an activity he hates so that he will make a better choice in the future to avoid it.

It was also about cementing the idea that just because you're privileged enough to be sent to boarding school doesn't mean you're above consequences, hard work, and getting your hands dirty. Everyone needs to know the value of working and earning their living. And everyone needs to learn to follow certain rules of acceptable behavior.

You didn't have chores at home? Our jobs were no different than normal household chores. We raked leaves, dusted, vacuumed, swished toilets, watered plants, etc. It kept our tuition fees lower and taught us the value and satisfaction of working hard and earning a wage. This was in the south so we had the whole Protestant Work Ethic thing going, but I never resented it or felt like I was enslaved in any way. In fact, I miss having the camaraderie of teammates for chores. We played music, goofed off, worked together to get the jobs done and we got to work and hang out with other kids we wouldn't necessarily be around otherwise (upper/lower class men on job duties together). Remembering it now makes me all nostalgic for it.

http://www.tallulahfalls.org/ It was only boarding when I went and we didn't wear uniforms. It has changed a lot in the last 25 years.