I Was Paddled In High School
The Last Girls Caned In England
Once a staple of the British school system, caning has now been abolished in the United Kingdom. However, some of the private schools held on to the tradition until the mid-1990's. And equal opportunity was given to girls as well as boys.
Director Michael Moore did a feature on this incident in 1994, in the wake of the now-infamous Fay caning case.
Our story is set at the Rodney School, a private co-ed boarding school in Nottinghamshire. It was founded and run by Miss Joan Thomas, an elderly proper British lady, who sought to teach her students how to become proper ladies and gentlemen. Discipline was strict but reasonable, and the student transgressor was usually given a choice between being grounded for several weekends, or to get it over with quickly, the school cane. Miss Thomas caned the girls and the male headmaster caned the boys, an arrangement that was generally followed in British schools.
In 1991 (some reports say 1992) some of the Junior girls got the brilliant idea to sneak into the boys' dorm for a visit, an act clearly against the rules. Five girls carried out the plan, but on their way back to their own dorm they were caught.
The girls were taken before Miss Thomas, who telephoned their parents and informed them of the serious nature of their little escapade. By rights the girls should have been tossed out on their backsides, but Miss Thomas presented the parents with a choice of either that, or another punishment for the girls' backsides--a really sound caning!
Rodney School was a very good school, and the girls did enjoy attending there. The feature of the cane was a small consideration over the good education they were given, and of the friends they made at the school. The girls, and their parents, opted for the caning. Once that was over, they were free to return to class. The caning would be carried out the following morning.
In view of the severity of their offense, the girls would be "topped and tailed." That is, first some whacks on the palms of their hands, then bent over for some really good stingers across their bottoms. Different ages were reported for the girls, ranging from eleven to fourteen, but they were most likely eleven. To prepare for the caning, the girls were ordered into their gym suits of a purple athletic shirt ("vest" in British English) and white cotton shorts--except the girls were instructed to keep their panties off! Nothing would sit between the thin shorts and their behinds, so the cane would be very stinging indeed.
Reports vary as to how many strokes the girls received, but the story made the press and one girl was interviewed. She was Joanne, the girl who thought up this bright idea. She would be given the most severe dose--two on each hand and eight across her shorts. The other girls also got two on each hand but fewer than eight on their rears, probably six.
The "topping" was given first. Each girl had to hold out her hand and brace it by putting her other hand under it, securing it by pressing her elbow against her ribs. Because the hand is made of delicate bones, the caning was probably not too hard, but it did give a frightful sting!
Now came the "tailing" on the thin gym shorts. A student who had been caned, and saw Miss Thomas's caning style, described her technique. The girl had to bend over Miss Thomas's desk, and Miss Thomas would walk back several steps. Then raising the cane, she would trot forward, and at the last second she would leap high into the air, frumpy long tweed skirt and all, and upon returning to earth would bring the cane down with a frightful THWACK! The girl said Miss Thomas probably leaped three feet in the air, remarkable for an elderly schoolmarm. Then she would do it again. The girl being caned was not allowed to cry, squeal or even gasp, or she would get extra strokes! After all five girls were caned in this manner, they were dismissed and sent back to their rooms to nurse their stripes.
In her interview Joanne admitted that she had done wrong and was only getting what she deserved. Miss Thomas was only doing her job. She said she thought those whacks across her butt would never end. They hurt, and, she admitted, still hurt at the time of her interview. But it was all over now.
However, it was not completely over. A day later, the girls visited Miss Thomas's study again. But this time it was not for caning. The girls had gone into town to buy some gifts for their headmistress--flowers, plants, chocolates--and presented them to her. In her interview with Michael Moore, Miss Thomas said she was astounded and told the girls, "But I caned all of you yesterday!"
"Yes we know, Miss," said a spokesgirl in reply, "but we deserved it, didn't we?"
That is the perfect example of discipline. You know you did wrong, you know what the punishment will be, and you accept it. There was no malice or grudge against Miss Thomas, no grumbling or calling her an old hag. Rather, they gave her gifts as a gesture of no hard feelings. The girls liked Miss Thomas and said she was very fair when dealing with them.
These five are "arguably" the last girls to be caned in England. There are reports that Miss Thomas caned other girls after these, but the practice of caning was now coming to an end throughout the United Kingdom.
Once a staple of the British school system, caning has now been abolished in the United Kingdom. However, some of the private schools held on to the tradition until the mid-1990's. And equal opportunity was given to girls as well as boys.
Director Michael Moore did a feature on this incident in 1994, in the wake of the now-infamous Fay caning case.
Our story is set at the Rodney School, a private co-ed boarding school in Nottinghamshire. It was founded and run by Miss Joan Thomas, an elderly proper British lady, who sought to teach her students how to become proper ladies and gentlemen. Discipline was strict but reasonable, and the student transgressor was usually given a choice between being grounded for several weekends, or to get it over with quickly, the school cane. Miss Thomas caned the girls and the male headmaster caned the boys, an arrangement that was generally followed in British schools.
In 1991 (some reports say 1992) some of the Junior girls got the brilliant idea to sneak into the boys' dorm for a visit, an act clearly against the rules. Five girls carried out the plan, but on their way back to their own dorm they were caught.
[image/video - please log in to see this content]
The girls were taken before Miss Thomas, who telephoned their parents and informed them of the serious nature of their little escapade. By rights the girls should have been tossed out on their backsides, but Miss Thomas presented the parents with a choice of either that, or another punishment for the girls' backsides--a really sound caning!
Rodney School was a very good school, and the girls did enjoy attending there. The feature of the cane was a small consideration over the good education they were given, and of the friends they made at the school. The girls, and their parents, opted for the caning. Once that was over, they were free to return to class. The caning would be carried out the following morning.
In view of the severity of their offense, the girls would be "topped and tailed." That is, first some whacks on the palms of their hands, then bent over for some really good stingers across their bottoms. Different ages were reported for the girls, ranging from eleven to fourteen, but they were most likely eleven. To prepare for the caning, the girls were ordered into their gym suits of a purple athletic shirt ("vest" in British English) and white cotton shorts--except the girls were instructed to keep their panties off! Nothing would sit between the thin shorts and their behinds, so the cane would be very stinging indeed.
Reports vary as to how many strokes the girls received, but the story made the press and one girl was interviewed. She was Joanne, the girl who thought up this bright idea. She would be given the most severe dose--two on each hand and eight across her shorts. The other girls also got two on each hand but fewer than eight on their rears, probably six.
[image/video - please log in to see this content]
The "topping" was given first. Each girl had to hold out her hand and brace it by putting her other hand under it, securing it by pressing her elbow against her ribs. Because the hand is made of delicate bones, the caning was probably not too hard, but it did give a frightful sting!
Now came the "tailing" on the thin gym shorts. A student who had been caned, and saw Miss Thomas's caning style, described her technique. The girl had to bend over Miss Thomas's desk, and Miss Thomas would walk back several steps. Then raising the cane, she would trot forward, and at the last second she would leap high into the air, frumpy long tweed skirt and all, and upon returning to earth would bring the cane down with a frightful THWACK! The girl said Miss Thomas probably leaped three feet in the air, remarkable for an elderly schoolmarm. Then she would do it again. The girl being caned was not allowed to cry, squeal or even gasp, or she would get extra strokes! After all five girls were caned in this manner, they were dismissed and sent back to their rooms to nurse their stripes.
In her interview Joanne admitted that she had done wrong and was only getting what she deserved. Miss Thomas was only doing her job. She said she thought those whacks across her butt would never end. They hurt, and, she admitted, still hurt at the time of her interview. But it was all over now.
However, it was not completely over. A day later, the girls visited Miss Thomas's study again. But this time it was not for caning. The girls had gone into town to buy some gifts for their headmistress--flowers, plants, chocolates--and presented them to her. In her interview with Michael Moore, Miss Thomas said she was astounded and told the girls, "But I caned all of you yesterday!"
"Yes we know, Miss," said a spokesgirl in reply, "but we deserved it, didn't we?"
That is the perfect example of discipline. You know you did wrong, you know what the punishment will be, and you accept it. There was no malice or grudge against Miss Thomas, no grumbling or calling her an old hag. Rather, they gave her gifts as a gesture of no hard feelings. The girls liked Miss Thomas and said she was very fair when dealing with them.
These five are "arguably" the last girls to be caned in England. There are reports that Miss Thomas caned other girls after these, but the practice of caning was now coming to an end throughout the United Kingdom.
