[crashryan]

Can someone who grew up in England sort out for me the myth and the reality of beating students in English schools?

In comics, story papers, and cartoons dating well into the 1960s there seems a near-obsession with the subject of caning. One would think a teacher's primary job was to thrash his students! How prevalent was corporal punishment? I say "was" assuming it's no longer used--am I wrong on that score?

Link to the book: The Magnet 1505

[MarkWarner]

I was at "generic" school in the 60's and the cane was used. It's a long time ago ... but I wasn't very often a handful of times a year .. and it was a big thing only the headmaster did it.

There was also the lesser punishment of the slipper ... not sure how that worked. Doesn't appear to be much of a threat to me ... but I guess it depends what it is filled with

Usage went from school to school and area to area .... looking at Wikipedia it was actually banned in state schools 1987 and public schools 1999 (blimey that late!!).

As a few asides:

In simple terms
a) state school is free
b) public school is independent fee paying NOT FREE
Which confuses everyone at some point!

I remember chalk being thrown a lot mainly as a joke ... but also heavy wooden board rubbers (eraser or whatever you call them for blackboards).

I also remember teacher called Mrs Hawke who seemed about 100 ... she had "eyes at the back of her head" in fact it emerged that she had somehow mastered the art of using reflections in her glasses (or so she claimed).

She had a gammy leg so had a wooden walking stick and her party piece was to hook the miscreant around the neck and drag him around a bit. She was as swift as a ninja with that stick.. 

Anyway I digress, yes caning was around and I think it depends where you lived, what sort of school you went to (more likely to get the cane in state schools in deprived areas and affluent public schools) and it became less prevalent over time.

[paw broon]

Crash, can I give you some idea of schools in Scotland?  Although a part of the United Kingdom, Scotland is a kingdom in its own right with a different education, legal and health system (that last being still part of the British system but administered from Edinburgh) We also have public (fee paying) schools, some of which educated some royals and major politicians. (not something I am really proud of).  State schools are free and I attended a state primary school till about 12, then went to the local senior secondary.  When I was at school there were senior secondaries - up to 6 years of schooling -  and junior secondaries - 4 years.  Just after I left the system changed to comprehensive.  We had corporal punishment which was limited to the belt, or the tawse, as they were called here, which you got on the palms of your hands. No cane.  I haven't a clue if the fee paying schools used the cane or other methods of cp., but I think they might have.
Skelps on the back of the head were occasionally administered.
There was a music teacher at my secondary who kept his tawse inside his jacket, over his shoulder and would snatch it out really quickly and crash it onto the desk in front of you.  Gave you the fright of your life.  He was weird and also "accidentally" occasionally locked young ladies in his store cupboard.