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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Sharon · F

I was a regular recipient of both the cane and slipper in previous years but corporal punishment wasn't used anything like as much in 6th form.

Corporal punishment in 6th form was offered an an alternative to other punishments like suspension. When we committed a serious offence that, in previous years, we would have been caned for, we had the option of a caning or being suspended. As far as I know, everyone opted for the caning. Individual teachers would offer the option of slippering instead of lines or detention too.

MaryWat · 70-79, F

Hi Sharon. We obviously shared very similar school punishment experiences prior to sixth form. Things have changed so much in the 50 years since I was last caned at school that I sometimes have to pinch myself to believe my own memories! In the present day world it’s hard to believe we almost routinely bent over to have our bottoms slippered or caned without summoning up our lawyer!

My sixth form experience was different from yours – maybe there is some age difference and you attended school a few years later – but there was never any suggestion in my school after you had been caught that the punishment you had been sentenced to was in any way negotiable. (In the sixth form in particular, apart from caning and the slipper, the other punishments were after school detention, Saturday morning school, or serious impositions. On reflection, we were treated with some leniency, and allowed some privileges, but the basic rules, and the consequent punishment for not abiding by them remained unchanged. To give classic example, smoking in school uniform, or being out of bounds, or skipping lessons, if discovered, all still meant an automatic caning, even at 17/18.. I suppose an “option” would be to leave school permanently rather than take the punishment, but the ramifications of that would be too horrible to contemplate in those days, including for most of us a thrashing at home which would have eclipsed even the worst school caning.

Just as an aside, I found it really interesting that even when you were offered a choice of punishments you all still opted to get it over and done with quickly and, presumably, there and then.

Although counter-intuitive, I think I would have been with you. No one who has had a school caning underestimates it painfulness, but it's over so quickly, and within hours the discomfort level is quite tolerable.

Sharon · F

@MaryWat: I'm younger than you so did attend school at least ten years later than you. Our punishments weren't exactly negotiable, we were simply offered the option of a caning instead of some other, potentially more serious, punishment.

In sixth form we were given a lot more slack but there were still limits. As you say, we all had the option of leaving but the ramifications of doing so were too great for that to be a realistic option. Even punishments like lines or detentions (for more minor offences) ate into what little free time sixth formers had so the offer of a slippering instead was gratefully accepted.

Slipperings were carried out immediately but I did have to wait a day to be caned once. It was for going to the pub at lunchtime. We were given the option of suspension or a caning and told to decide which we wanted and return the next day with our decision.

Royrogers · 61-69, M

@Sharon gosh you sound a very naughty girl

Sharon · F

@Royrogers I was. ;)

Royrogers · 61-69, M

@Sharon wish i was a teacher at your school