School Punishment

[manofkent59]

I did get the impression tha Detention as a punishment was pretty well established by the 1960s. I did live in a fairly small town in Pembrokeshire with many pupils attending from surrounding villages etc and who relied on school buses for transport. Possibly such a consideration made it problematic to operate such a system - though it was not seriously discussed.

I had a mixture of punishments at secondary school (1970s) - lines, detention and the slipper. As far as I recall the detention was at lunchtime which avoided the problem of missing the school bus and not getting home

[manofkent59]

Other punishments I remember from primary school was the headmaster creeping up behind me and twisting my ears for misbehaving - which was bloody painful! I think he only did this to boys, can't remember how naughty girls were punished. His wife, a horrible woman, also taught there and she "slippered" with a heavy Scholl sandal. I once saw three boys get this in the playground - they were wearing shorts and she whacked them on the tops of the legs, ouch!

On another occasion a load of us were punished by the headmaster for making too much noise. We had to spend the afternoon break facing the fence in the playground in silence with our backs to the playground while the rest of the school looked on as they enjoyed their playtime

[George 1978]

After reading the post above, (and I have mentioned this before on here): I have to say that I am not surprised that former Headteachers from the 1970s and 1980s often make the news as a result of being accused of historic child abuse, and most are brought to justice in the courts, and to see what adult detention is like. I feel for what you had to put up with back then; and no doubt that child who would twist another's ear would no doubt be suspended for assault, and it would certainly be classified as bullying, yet, 50 years ago or thereabouts (which I assume was the era that you were referring to), the Head seemed to do this as a punishment. Any shoe shop assistant will tell you that slippers or sandals are for wearing on one's feet and not for the use as a lethal weapon to physically assault someone with. The NSPCC should have focused their campaigns a lot more on schools back then for a start.

It just shows you how far we have travelled: I had read the letters page of a local newspaper from 1972 from the BNA, and it had published a letter from a rather Victorian-style mother, saying that it is OK to "spank" their child when they misbehave; something which sounds ancient and unsettling from a 2020s perspective. The year 1972 was closer to the King Charles III era than the Queen Victoria era. Two wrongs don't make a right: how can you let a child know that assault is wrong when one does the same to them for misbehaviour? No wonder we grow up more confused than ever. Likewise, the same goes to senior members of school staff; I think that it makes it worse as they are not related to the child and they are only represented from a loco parentis perspective. The parents might have agreed with the punishment back then, but allow someone who has no relation apart from a "colleague" perspective to perform such an act is truly barbaric in hindsight. I wouldn't let a stranger do that, and it is no less painful when someone does that.

[darren]

Now my skool life was pure hell as i was a good pupil but never in trouble but yet i can remember occassions where 3 teachers wanted to cane me in secondary skool because they believed the bullies lies
this happened in around 91 or 92.

But yet they never got caned for some of he truly apaalling things they did to me and others..

But i do remember seeing pupils get theruler over the knuckles forsimply talking when they werent meant to and talking low.

But i feel skool punishments were more brutal back then.

I doubt the teachers would get away with it now.


Altho my bro has been a teacher for 30yrs.

[Richard1978]

Now my skool life was pure hell as i was a good pupil but never in trouble but yet i can remember occassions where 3 teachers wanted to cane me in secondary skool because they believed the bullies lies
this happened in around 91 or 92.

But yet they never got caned for some of he truly apaalling things they did to me and others..

But i do remember seeing pupils get theruler over the knuckles forsimply talking when they werent meant to and talking low.

But i feel skool punishments were more brutal back then.

I doubt the teachers would get away with it now.


Altho my bro has been a teacher for 30yrs.

Even without physical punishment some teachers at my secondary school could get away with things that they couldn't anywhere else!

[George 1978]

I doubt the teachers would get away with it now.

You are correct - the teaching staff would not get away with it now, but it is a case of closing the stable door when it comes to what had happened in the past. I am certain that in recent years there have been former pupils who have taken their former LEA to court, sometimes taking direct action against existing schools in an "un-Friends Reunited" sort-of-way, including former staff who are still with us and getting their eventual comeuppance because of what they had to endure back in the day; never mind taking it to the Board of Governors. And one wonders why youngsters hate going to school?

You know how daytime TV is peppered with insurance claims adverts? Perhaps if they did the same for former school pupils who had to endure assault and the like, be it from staff or pupils, and one could claim compensation, then I would be all for it.

March 2024 marks 30 years since I left the "Madhouse" and my life has been altered so much by the impact and influence of the educational system in the past. One might bump up the "25 Years Since Leaving School" thread which I had started on here five years ago...

[Moonraker]

Was that on your hand or backside?

Backside

[George 1978]

Backside

Which is worse, though? People think of backisdes as being more taboo than hands.

[manofkent59]

Which is worse, though? People think of backisdes as being more taboo than hands.

I thought it was worse on the hands

[manofkent59]

Backside

Our PE teacher slippered the whole class for taking too long to get changed. Like you I was one of a long line of boys that had to bend over! His arm showed no sign of tiring as he went along the line with his plimsoll and I was in the second half of the line

[George 1978]

I thought it was worse on the hands

I suppose it is - the irony is that that and having 100 lines in detention can give someone pain in their hands as well. Thankfully, it never happened to me (no capital punisment as I had left several decades after it was abolished), but it makes me think how can someone hold a pen or pencil to write properly when they have just had that on their hand? Assuming that it was the same hand that they wrote with. At least hands are not as taboo as backsides are.

[80sChav]

Re: School Punishment

I was in the Rugby team but i don't think that got me any slack, a few guys would pretend they "forgot" to put their tie back on after PE and would use that excuse if caught.

Our ties would also be frayed a bit at the thin end from "flicking" them at each other when getting changed.

We had another teacher who would tell you off for not having a shower after PE lessons and would sometimes stand by the shower to make sure everyone had one, sounds a bit wrong now though....
Some kids would just stick their head in so it was wet so when he checked he thought you'd been in.....

Had all these Mulletino mate yeah

Did you often/or ever straighten the end on the thin bit of the Tie ......... now that did look epic mate!

[80sChav]

How enforceable was Detention in practice? What happened to pupils who failed to turn up for such sessions?

I never did them Lol

[George 1978]

I never did them Lol

Either you were well-behaved at school, or (and I am assuming that it was this option) you didn't bother turning up to them.