Having just discovered your forum, the number of girls who have been caned amazes me.At my school only boys were caned, even if a girl had committed the same offence they were just given lines or detention were as the boys were given more painful lines across the bottom. I had my fair share of whackings give me detention anytime

You're right to be amazed, John - because almost every one of those stories is a work of fiction (or a pack of lies if you prefer plain speaking).

Many moons ago, a contributor to this forum challenged the world to provide reliable evidence that a UK schoolgirl was ever caned on the bum by a male teacher in circumstances which didn't lead to criminal charges.

So far, there have been no takers.

In short, it (probably) never happened.

I can say with all honestly that whilst 99.9% of all school canings were rightly given to boys, there had to have been occasions where girls were punished in similar fashions and perhaps also by a male Headmaster.

When my sister attended St. John's Primary School, and I too attended there, a girl by the name of "Jane", who would have been 4 years older than myself was caned by the male Headmaster for bullying. I can remember my sister telling me about the bruises on her bottom on legs as a result of the cane.

So in my opinion it did and could happen, although the occurrences were very few and far between.

As for the Headmaster being criminally charged for such a thing, it was unheard of. This occurred in the early '70's.

Nick,

Could this be the same St. John’s as the one featured in the ‘Get with it! Get Witham!’ thread’? (Page 2)

It was situated at Archdale Road, London, S.E.22

I agree with my fellow nick. ?In my time at school in the late sixties and seventies, the cane was very much a male preserve. Given almost exclusively to boys and for the sort of offences which they tended to commit;
eg fighting , smoking etc.

Girls were never caned at our school, although I did hear of other schools where it was given to them across the palm. As the wearing of skirts was required in those days, this would seem to be the most practical method if it was deemed a caning was required.

If the cane were to be reintroduced in the modern era, the more common wearing of trousers by females and the fact they seem to have become more masculine in their behaviour in many ways, could make a good case for them getting it on their bums. I note that in the USA where the paddle is used, both girls and boys get it in that area of their anatomy.

But personally my view would be males only....if at all !


nick

Karen,

The St. John's Primary that I attended was in a little village in Staffordshire called Bishopswood. I am sure there are several other primary schools of the same name scattered throughout the country.

Nick.

Nick,

In response to your post... The primary school that I attended did not require a uniform of any sort be worn. However, that was quite different when attending middle school and onwards.

I do believe that the girl that was caned in the primary school on her backside often wore trousers. She was a large girl for her age and "butch" in appearance and mannerisms, so I do not feel that the cane was out of line given this fact.

I know from my own experience with the same Headmaster, that bullying was not tolerated under any circumstances and was treated with very diligently.

In New Zealand, in the 1950s/60s, school corporal punishment of girls was extremely rare and limited to primary school and possibly the very ocassional punishment in girls-only schools administered by females. Anything else was totally unthinkable and would have been major news if had occurred. Girls were considered as too frail for CP. In any event, they did not commit offences punishable by caning.

One thing commented on in recent years is the fact that boys have dropped well below girls in academic performance at most school ages.

I am interested in views as to whether the removal of the cane or threat of it has had any impact on this. Has the removal of a severe sanction caused deterioration in behaviour and lack of attention to work ?

Let me have any thoughts ?

I can only say that my own school days (1940s/50s) were endured under a black cloud of fear - fear of the cane, that is. IMHO, the cane as a teaching aid was worse than useless.

There may well have been boys who thrived under the harsh punishment regime. I was not one of them.

I think it's probably made some difference, yes, for some boys. I am grateful almost everyday for the fact that I was lucky enough to wind up in a school with strict discipline, including corporal punishment, when I did. I think it made a lot of difference to me - I doubt I would have achieved as much without it.

But I don't think that necessarily applies for everyone. And, I was also lucky enough to be in a school where I had excellent teachers who punished fairly (most of the time) out of a genuine concern for the well being of their students (again, most of the time). A lot of people, it seems haven't been that lucky.

I think in an ideal world, with ideal education, corporal punishment has a place in an ideal school system.

But if the system is less than ideal... well, then it depends on what else you are having to deal with.

Lotta nonsense makes lotta sense.I attended a co-ed school in the late sixties ,early seventies and the cane was used often ,but only to BOYS and always across the bottom and thats speaking from very painful experience.Girls received the usual detention or lines as punishment.At home though it was slightly different my sister was punished by our mum ,while dad dealt with me.Her C.P ended at about age twelve but mine carried on till i was fifteen.In our early years we were both put across mum and dads knee,when i was older dad used to use a thick leather strap on my bare bottom lay across my bed.I think that girls should be excused the cane as there skin is soft and could break ,although spanking would be acceptable my sister certainly learned from it

Mate, tell us more about your home tannings....sounds interesting and similar to me own
A few mates of mine used to get it in front of their sisters but most got sent to their rooms and dealt with by their dads by the time they got big enough to develop a stiffie...My brother and I sometimes got it in front of each other, until we were pretty big lads
My sister generally got dealt with by mum but on one memorable night got a good otk slippering from Dad in her room when he had had "just about enough!!!"
More details available on request
Happy whacking!

Schools used to be designed for the sterotypical boy by the stereotypical male teacher and the stereotypical boy did rather well. Boys tend to need more structure, better defined boundaries and stricter discipline than girls. Also, there were different expectations. Boys would become the bread winners, warriors and leaders. Girls would become homemakers, mothers and nurturers. Girls didn't need high accademic qualifications.

Nowadays, schools seem to be more designed for girls and girls are doing very much better. Indeed, an attempt seems be being made to socially engineer out many boyish traints - risk taking, boundary testing, bravado, competition, physical aggression, etc. Although these traints can be trying at times they did and presumably do serve an evolutionary purpose related to the survival of the species.

When parental and societal expections are low they are rarely disappointed.

I can tell you about one tanning as it was the most painful and humiliating of them all.Two friends and myself were caught stealing sweets from the local shop,the police were called and we were all taken home in the police car.Dad was at work at the time ,but mum was at home ,she was furious,she phoned dad and he would deal with me when he came home.He finally arrived with a face like thunder and sent me upstairs to change into my pyjamas.Iwas summoned back down to the living room,by this time my sister had arrived home (she was a year older than me)Dad turned to her and told her to take note at what was about to happen as she would get the same if she committed the same offence.Dad never spanked me in front of my sister this was the first and only time she witnessed my tannings.Mum came in with her wooden hairbrush,i could feel the tears welling in my eyes,gave the brush to dad and sat next to my sister on the sofa.Dad dragged the high backed chair into the centre of the room,sat down and pulled me over his knee,my pyjama bottoms and underpants were yanked down he then gave me the most long painful tanning of mylife,i cried and screamed but to no avail ,dad was going to teach me a lesson that day and it lived with me ever since.Inever stole again and i realise now that i deserved it.Perhaps if some of todays kids were dealt with in the same way there would not be as much crime. he

Au contraire, Simon.

If today's kids were dealt with in the same way there would be three times as much crime - you'd have the crime committed by the child, the crime committed by the father in assaulting him, and the crime committed by the mother in aiding and abetting the father.

Back to the drawing board!

Hurrah! Let us follow Lottanonsense's incisive thinking and have government immediately pass legislation decriminalising all actions by everyone everywhere. Then we will have no crime at all.

It's so simple even an idiot could think of it. And look, one did.

Mark

I agree with John, All the writings which talk about girls getting corporal punishments i think are fiction or just either men or women in the group r making them up.
Pls be realistic and give true discussions. It's known on all schools if they give corporal punishments they give to boys not the girls.
I attended a mixed primary school,we boys only got corporally punished. I moved to all boys preperotary school afterwards and the punishments were more rigid and we got haircuts.

Thanks,
Eyad

I was as a boy raised by the belt , when I misbehaved and disobeyed
home rules,i was punished more severey than my sisters for the same
offences. Of course now i love my parents.I was a wild boy in the past and
didn't respond by verbal or soft discipline, frankly spanking my dad's belt
was the ultimate threat for me during my boyhood and it prevented me from
penetrating in my mischiefs and disobeidance. imagine in the past if i
was caught smoking and i faced just a talking from my parents or a
scolding,i would still carry on smoking with more insisting and enthiuastic
to continue this damaging habit as parents were lenient and meted no
punishments on me. When once i was caught with a cigarette box i hid in my
socks,you can't imagine what discipline i got,after which i never got back
to smoke. My dad belted me to death and gave me a severe haircut. After this
punishment i never smoked,the discipline was in my mind. Due to my fear of
discipline i lost my longness or appetite to smoke,the habit vanished.

Just my theme is that if a boy fears the discipline or knows very well the
consequences of bad behaviour,by time he will lose "bad behaviour
attitude",hence i think parents should inflict a harsher discipline on boys
to reach to their mentality and formation.

As for girls ,i think their mentality allows them to respond to more softer
punishments, I remember one of my sisters was rude and talked back to mom,
and my mother just banned her from her daily allowance for 2 days and the
third day my sister apologized and never got rude or talked back after that.
Just laughing,imagine it was me who got such a punishment(though am sure
i'll get a harsher physical discipline),i'll never mind it or fear it.

But also we can't generalize, some boys are responding, but to my belief
most of boys need to be delt with by more harsh methods of discipline to get
them on the right track.

Regards,
Eyad