@Martinll. Some of my teachers would ocassionally turn a blind eye. More commonly we'd be "let off" with a few whacks of the slipper rather than sent to be formaly caned. The PE mistress would always slipper us rather than send us to the head. but a sliipering from her was at least as bad as a caning.

I know this is a relatively old thread, but I am new here and totally agree with you that teachers didn't care one iota who started the fight, both (or all) parties were punished irrespective of guilt. In my school that invariably meant a caning. In my case I only got caned for fighting once, and it was the only wholly unfair punishment I got.

For all my other faults, I was the ultimate peacemaker. This really seemed to nark the class bully. One day - I was 12 -he literally started punching and shoving me for no other reason than I was 100% different from him. I defended myself, but don't think I even knew how to throw a punch. But the usual circle of cheering boys surrounded us, and that deemed it a fight.

Prefects separated us. No questions were asked. We were taken to the deputy Principal's office. Again, no opportunity to explain -merely lectured - very briefly - on the evils of fisticuffs (sic!) before being ordered to bend over and given six really of the best on our bottoms.

But even though it was grossly unfair, I don't remember especially resenting it, but more taking it as a part of a 1950's schoolboy life. You win some, you lose some. My two consolations? I took my caning a lot more stoically than the bully. And a year later he was expelled. For bullying!

yes...it seemed that those caught fighting were all caned with no effort to find out who started it. As a boy growing upin the 50's i had a lot of scraps and it was always a trip to the heads office. No questioning us. wE were always told we were going to get six of the caned and then the dreaded order to take your trousers and pants off then in front of each other it was over the chair and six hard strokes on the bare bottom.

I think most of us got it at some stage. Some of us just got it a lot more than others. I doubt any of us completely escaped the slipper.

And to think, some people will do anything to be caned now. ;)

Well yes, I'm sure we would have been very different if there had been lots of girls, even genteel ones, in the school!

Another point is that most teachers were quite reluctant to impose formal punishments. There were a couple of occasions when I might easily have been sent for a caning, but the teacher concerned chose to turn a blind eye.

Smoking was 4 strokes the first time and 6 every subsequent time. I never heard of anyone getting fewer than 6 for drinking. Not many serious fights, just a few scufles really but they were enough to earn the participants a slippering at least. Sexual activity was very common.

I like it @suzie1960! We smoked (six of the best if you were caught) and drank (we had one pub, the masters another, so that was all right). But not much fighting and certainly no sex that I was aware of!

Very different at my school. Most boys never got the cane. Most of those who did only got it once. Admittedly we were all, or almost all, nice middle-class boys!

@suzie1960: Did all or most pupils at your school get the cane at some stage? Or was it just the specially naughty or unlucky ones?

@Martinll. We weren't as genteel as you. ;) We smoked, drank, fought and engaged in sexual activity.

@suzie1960: Do you think any of these whackings had much effect on your or your schoolmates' behaviour?

@Martinll. Not really, they just made us try harder to avoid being caught again.

When I was at primary
The teacher used a handle of a brush on us

Did You prefer the slipper to the cane?

@laotzu92. In general, yes.