I Got The Cane Or Slipper In The Sixth Form

I was caned twice during my sixth form years in the early 1960s, once for skipping school and smoking and once for an offence which embarrassed the Headmistress – an agonising six of the best on both occasions. At my school the girl’s age seemed irrelevant when she was to be disciplined. It was entirely the nature and seriousness of your offence that determined your punishment. It mattered not whether you were a trembling 11 year old or a hardened sixth former - a caning offence was a caning offence. The only thing that changed was that the canings became more severe as you got older. The other change of course was that as you matured and became more worldly-wise, you were much more careful to stick to the rules (a plus in favour of corporal punishment) but equally rather more careful to avoid being caught when you did misbehave. So from memory, there was a significant decline in the frequency of canings as we progressed, and by sixth form, it was becoming much more of an ‘event’ when one of us was caned.

Few, if any, of the girls would have avoided the cane in their seven years at the school, but I think only a minority of us sixth-formers got the cane.

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DavidKing · 70-79, M

I was caned three times in the Lower Sixth by the headmaster, Mr Cooper, at King's School, Macclesfield in the late 1960s. The first time was about half way through the first term for arriving 45 minutes late when I had a "free period". "There is no such thing as a free period, boy! It is called private study and is to be done in the library." I got six strokes bending over the back of a chair in the head's study.

The second time was on the first day back after the Christmas holidays. I had skipped some rather boring lessons on cosmology during the first term. The teacher wrote on my report " I have not seen him for two months." The headmaster wrote "The comment by the Cosmology teacher would appear to require some explanation. I trust it will be convincing." It wasn't! Another six strokes.

The third time was on the last day of the second term. I had skived off on the way to the annual Founders' Day service in a church in town. I went for an underage pint in a pub. Eight strokes.

The slipper was used rather less in the Sixth Form than in the Fifth Form and the years below but it was still the main form of punishment. The big difference was that slipperings in the Sixth Form were not carried out in the classroom. Instead the teacher summoned us to the Upper Staff Room at lunch time or after school. We were slippered in a small store room attached to the Upper Staff Room. I was slippered several times in the Lower and Upper Sixth, notably by my Latin teacher, Mr Vigor, for using profane language in the Sixth Form Common Room (nine whacks), and by my French teacher and form master, Mr Haresign for playing truant (12 whacks).

jackcros · 70-79, M

@DavidKing 12 whacks with a sturdy slipper was no light punishment

Sharon · F

@jackcros Especially when my gym mistress was swinging it.