Punishment book details leaked to media
There were more than 600 canings at a
single school during six years, the official punishment book revealed.
It was leaked to a group campaigning for
the ban on corporal punishment in British schools in 1981.
STOPP, The Society of Teachers Opposed to Physical Punishment, revealed the contents of the book to the media. It said the number of canings at Bristol’s Hartcliffe School was about average for secondary schools in England.
As
published in the Evening Post (Bristol, England), 15 July 1981.
Picture credit: Alamy.
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Fascinating find. I grew up near Bristol and was at school at this time and hadn't realised that canings were still happening in comp schools in the area. Wow.
ReplyDeleteThe six years of records almost certainly skews more to most canings in 75 than 81 but it's good people do see that cp was in some schools used in the 70ths onwards still especially if the headmaster was long serving and use to giving the cane and happy for senior teachers to slipper to take some of the workload off him. I can verify the use of the cane 76 to 78 from personal memories but pretty sure not every caning made the book. It also shows the problems of not having full context. The canings for missing detention would not have been first option but if the lad didn't turn up for it twice a more immediate punishment would be due. It may seem surprising to some but it could be easy to mix up the day or even forget your detention especially if it was the following week as not always the most organised at that age . I can remember about to put the front door key in after the bus ride home and suddenly remembering I should have been in Mr Freeman detention which was a jolt. Thankfully after an apology I had practiced all night got me off going to the headmaster but was cleared by detention the next day and three strokes of his gym shoe to remind me to turn up.
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