Question for our American members.

The primary school I went to had what was referred to as 'the strap' as the ultimate sanction. It was a metre long ruler that was applied to the seat of the pants, usually by the headmistress; a stout nun in her 50's who used the name of Sister Leonine.

I was in a private school for 4th, 5th and 6th grades. They used the paddle there and one time I saw a boy in my class get his pants pulled down and the headmaster of the school used the boys own belt on him for several swats. He had thrown a rock and hit a younger boy. This was done in the outside common area where there were students watching. We did have a girl in our school, but other than her it was not coed. She was there when it happened if I remember correctly. This would have been around 1972 or so in S. California.

@KatiePie
I can confirm that a yardstick is indeed a three foot long ruler (almost the equivalent of a metre stick). We had one stashed behind our refrigerator growing up and my mom would occasionally spank me and my sisters with it, although the wooden hairbrush was her "go to" implement. The yardstick was awful... Which was, I suppose, how Mom intended it to be!

Spankjenny, I'm sure that was the case. I know in sixth grade, I had a teacher who paddled to make it as painful as she could, so you would never want to experience that again, and for most part it worked.

This thread has been a fascinating read! To answer the original question, I tend to prefer English implements and settings but I enjoy plenty of stories set in other countries too.

As for school implements and realism, I think it probably varied quite a lot school by school, town by town, area by area. I know someone who was given 6 whacks of a cricket bat on his school shorts in 1985, at a private school. I know someone who was walloped with the edge of a metal tennis racket on her bare thighs in 1982 at a state primary school. I've heard such different accounts from people who have no reason to lie to me, it's fascinating.

I'd say those were criminal acts even at the time, because the implements were inherently dangerous. I accept such things may well have happened, but I think it's important to stress they were in no way typical of what went on in UK schools, but extreme cases.

Oh, I wasn't trying to promote them as ideal or normal! I was merely trying to highlight that while there are obvious patterns that can be determined, like many schools restricting CP to boys only, like board rubbers thrown at heads etc, there are many many exceptions and so many 'non realistic' stories which actually did happen. I apologize for the miscommunication!

Not at all, tms! I didn't think you were suggesting that, I just thought others might think it.


That happened quite a lot at my school (60's, 70's), and one teacher famously missed the boy's head and smashed a window. It just goes to show how dangerous it was. The "rubber" was mostly made of wood. What if the corner had hit someone in the eye? Of course, health and safety was much less prominent back then. I'm sure some of the things we did in science lessons, like pricking our fingers to get blood samples or tasting acids and alkalis, would not be allowed today.

I went to English co-ed State schools in the 50/60s and cannot recall a girl ever getting hit, boys got caned on the hand and it was brutal. One PE teacher used a jokari bat and another teacher a plimsol, but that was just one whack and a rare event. The worst I got where clips around the ear.

My wife also went to State Schools in England and the worst the girls got there was a slap on the hand with a 12" ruler. Though she did get the slipper off her dad.

I also don't recall any pupil ever swearing at, or abusing a teacher because the consequences were so grave. Most boys got CP for bullying and fighting.

AlanBarr I was at secondary school until 2016 and we certainly never pricked our fingers for blood or tasted acids or alkalis! We did once get evacuated when someone opened all the gas taps and shut all the windows in a classroom though. Brilliant fun, horribly dangerous!