Recent memories of English girls receiving school punishments reminded me of my mixed grammar school in south-east London. We, too, had detentions, writing lines, etc, but corporal punishment was also used. Boys would get the slipper whacked across their trousers in front of class, and could get the cane from the deputy headmaster. I don’t recall ever hearing of our headmistress caning a girl, and teachers seemed reluctant to slipper a girl in class across the seat of her skirt. Girls did, though, sometimes get the ruler in front of the class.

This only happened to me once. We were in a cookery class (girls only back then) and a few girls started throwing stuff around when the teacher left us for a few minutes. When she returned, possibly attracted by the noise we were making, she was not happy. She told us we would all be getting the ruler.

So, one by one, we were called to the front and had to hold our non-writing hand out, palm uppermost, so the teacher could give us a single whack with a one-foot wooden ruler.

I remember being quite nervous as my turn approached. My mum had spanked me a few times, but that was my sum experience of corporal punishment.

My turn came, and I felt a bit dizzy as I went to the front. I held my left hand out and immediately the teacher gave me my whack across the palm. It definitely stung!

SP