The Headmaster was taking us for Scripture when I was in the first form. A wasp was buzzing round my ear, and was spotted by the Head who ordered "Stay still, boy". I did so, until it crawled inside my ear, whereupon I swatted it away. I was ordered out to the front and caned for disobeying his order... and so were four others for sniggering!

DP West Hartlepool Grammar School

Welcome to ouch-gs

Recent attempts by a television reality show to replicate education in the 50s were doomed to fail: quite simply, they could not recreate the fear of corporal punishment, administered by teachers who often wielded the cane, just because they could.

This BLOG is dedicated to everyone who attended secondary (and primary?) school in the era of corporal punishment, and who suffered at the hands of teachers who subscribed to the educational theory of 'This is going to hurt me more than it will hurt you!'.

Below are some of the 'offences' for which we were punished ...

1 I was caned for not wearing my school cap. I was three miles from school, and twenty yards from home. It was my brother (the headboy) who reported me !

GS West Hartlepool Grammar School For Boys

2 I was caned by the Headmaster, because he didn't like the way I wrote the letter 'f'.

LS West Hartlepool Grammar School For Boys

3 I was given an extra stroke of the cane, because the sound of my being caned was different from that of my three friends - who had an exercise book down their trousers! I was ridiculed by the teacher as a wimp, and promptly caned again!

GR West Hartlepool Grammar School For Boys



4 I was given SIX strokes of the cane by my English teacher who took exception to the way I pronounced the word 'schedule'. I had pronounced it as the american 'skedule, instead of the english 'shedule'. Before each stroke, he snarled "How do you pronounce it?"

HS West Hartlepool Grammar School For Boys

5 I was caned by my Music teacher as part of a weekly ritual whereby he caned the whole class at the start of the lesson, with the words, "I know some of you will misbehave and escape detection. However, you will not escape punishment".

PL Brierton Secondary Modern School

6 I was caned by the Headmaster within ten minutes of entering secondary school: as the register was being taken, the Headmaster appeared, wishing to speak to our form teacher. He warned the class not to speak. I made the mistake of saying to my neighbour, "Who's that?", was spotted and sent to his study where I was duly caned.

TS West Hartlepool Grammar School For Boys

7 I was caned by the Headmaster because he saw me en route to school, talking to a girl from the neighbouring Girls' High School.

MH West Hartlepool Grammar School For Boys

8 I was caned because when summoned to see the Headmaster in his study, I trod on his carpet, instead of keeping to the linoleum reserved for 'the plebs' !

BG West Hartlepool Grammar School For Boys



9 At the age of 11, I was punished by my History teacher, because he would not accept that I could not write neatly: I was made to rewrite my homework. He saw it as no better, told me to roll up my (short) trouser leg, and promptly hit me three times with the flat of his hand ! To this day, I cannot write neatly

PD West Hartlepool Grammar School For Boys



10 I was caned by my Maths teacher, because he considered I had overreacted when taking evasive action to avoid a bogey flicked by him, as we worked, while he sat with his feet up reading The Daily Mirror

JT West Hartlepool Grammar School For Boys



11 I was given 100 lines by the head boy as part of a whole class punishment for noise outside the chemistry lecture theatre. Although I was at the doctors at the time, this failed to serve as a reasonable excuse. I was subsequently caned by the Headmaster for my protest, and for showing disrespect to his head boy. Incredible! Ouch!

RB West Hartlepool Grammar School



12 At Junior School, at the start of the school day, the whole class was tested on our 'times tables'. Those who underperformed were rapped across the knuckles with a ruler. At the end of the day, we were again tested; underperformers were again punished with the ruler. This took place most days! Strangely enough, we became quite numerate!

DK Brougham Junior School




Has anybody any similar experiences?
Leave your anecdotes for publication.