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I Got The Cane Or Slipper In The Sixth Form

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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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CarterHall · 56-60, M

I was caned several times in 6th form. I went to a catholic run comprehensive after a life long catholic education the majority of us were atheists by the time we got to 6th Form we were told that the local bishop would be visiting. We had a six form common room with a record player in it so as the bishop was arriving in the 6th form block we played Patti Smiths version of Gloria at full volume. For those unfamiliar with the song it starts with a spoken intro "Jesus died for somebodies sins but not mine" The were 5 of us stood around laughing in the common room when the Headmaster and 6th Form Head stormed in. We were marched off to the headmasters office by one of the teachers while the Heads were apologising to the bishop.
We had never hear of 6th formers getting the cane so we were expecting suspension. When the head arrived he told us to wait facing the wall in silence. Around 30 mins later we were called into the office. The was a chair placed in the middle and the cane was on the desk. "I have spoken to your parents about your behaviour and they have all given their consent for you to be caned, quite frankly the alternative would be expulsion." We were lined up and he pointed the cane at the boy next to me and told him to bend over the back of the chair and grip the front legs as far down as he could stretch before giving him 10 strokes across the tight trouser seat. I was next and was glad of the chair to hold on to because I was anxious 6 of the best had always been very painful and and extra 4 strokes was nightmarish.
After this we felt we were marked men and within a fortnight the 6th form head had found reasons for us all to be bent across his desk for 6 of the best I got mine for insolence and also sent to him for talking in class.

Sharon · F

@CarterHall We had a liitle more leeway in 6th form but we still got the slipper or cane if we pushed it too far.

ArishMell · 70-79, M

@CarterHall He sounds just a brute.

huggy001 · 56-60, M

@CarterHall i hated life at both my catholic schools,the nuns were promotors of caning bare bottoms of both boys and girls in class and i front of whole school very rarely in private

sally1981 · 41-45, F

@CarterHall

huggy001 · 56-60, M

@sally1981 nice bottom worthy of a sound punishment

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MartinII · 70-79, M

@Sharon There was no slippering at my school, and canings weren’t all that frequent. But I think sixth formers were caned as often as anyone else!

Sharon · F

@MartinII The slipper was very common at my school. There were several slipperings every day in most classes. Less common in 6th form, except in my maths. group,where the maths teacher used it just about as often as in lower forms.

MaryWat · 70-79, F

@Sharon I can confirm Sharon's experience of just how frequently the slipper was used. I went to an ancient and well respect girls grammar school - us 800 girls represented the crème de la crème of the city's middle class. Yet in the lower school, it would be a rare lesson when at least one girl was not called to the front for the slipper. It wasn't much better in the sixth!

Tradcp · 56-60, M

@MaryWat maybe it’s more of a thing in posh girls schools. My sister attended one in Hertfordshire and they were strict or just expected good behavior

MaryWat · 70-79, F

@Tradcp As a generality you are probably correct. Because we were supposed to be clever, and a bit 'posh', there was an assumption that all girls would naturally abide by the rules, with proper respect and obedience to teachers and even our prefects. Given those assumptions, the moment you stepped out of line and were caught, some sort of punishment was inevitable. We did have lines and detention, but actual misbehaviour in the classroom almost invariably meant the slipper. Or worse: an invitation to see the headmistress.

Dez580 · 61-69, M

@MaryWat Private fee paying schools were a lot stricter , and my boarding school certainly was. Compared to state schools, the food was awful, dormitories cold, hot water a luxury and living in school uniform 7 days a week with 3 hours free time on a saturday afternoon. Plus canings very common

jackcros · 70-79, M

@Dez580 The joys of a privileged education for which your parents paid handsomely!

Dez580 · 61-69, M

@jackcros as did my bottom , often!!!

Sharon · F

@Dez580 I think my bottom must have worn out quite a few slippers and canes.

Dez580 · 61-69, M

@Sharon i even had the odd cane split on my backside during yet another caning, though the teacher etc always had a spare or new cane to finish off with

Sharon · F

@Dez580 I've never known a cane to break like that. I got the yardstick/metre rule a few times and I'm surprised that didn't break either.