Special terms at English schools

Yes, that’s right.

Moody, the cane was banned in English state schools in 1986 and in the Private sector in 1997. I believe there were some schools that used the cane up to those dates

I've often found the form system in British schools confusing.

@ PGreenham
That is news to me, I thought 1986 it was outlawed for all of England. In 1981 we made a class trip to a town next to Brighton and when we arrived our teachers asked if we wanted to visit an English school which was a bit fishy since in the planning phase sightseeing a school was never mentioned. We rejected the offer. A few years ago I read that England really has school uniforms, before it was more like a rumor. In Germany it's ok to wear clean and undamaged clothes. During breaktime the schoolyard was colorful. The last girl I saw wearing a dress or skirt was in primary school when the mother decided on clothes I guess. Since the mid 1970ies Jeans got standard and sneaker since the late 1970ies. The visit would have shattered our world view

A from memory reconstructed time table:
08:15-09:00 lesson 1
09:00-09:05 mini break to allow switching rooms
09:05-09:50 lesson 2
09:50-10:20 beakfast break
10:20-11:05 lesson 3
11:05-11:10 mini break to allow switching rooms
11:10-11:55 lesson 4
11:55-12:25 lunch break
12:25-13:10 lesson 5
13:10-13:15 mini break to allow switching rooms
13:15-14:00 lesson 6
14:00-14:05 mini break to allow switching rooms
14:05-14:50 lesson 7

primary school was lessons 1-4 and secondary lessons 1-6
In all my time I think we only got a 7th lesson only once and breakfast was only 15min first
PE was once a week and mostly the last 2 lessons because of changing always 2 consecutive hours

When there was need for an assembly it was held in the 'Aula' It translates as assembly hall and there I thought assembly didn't exist in German schools ;) since we had none. If there was an announcment it was held between breakfast and lunch. Before breakfast and after lunch the chances to reach all pupils were slim. Either not yet at school or already on the way home.

I'm not sure about the exact dates, but private schools were allowed to continue using corporal punishment several years after it was banned in state schools.

The routine use of corporal punishment in UK and Irish schools was affected by the judgement of the ECHR in 1982. However the court did not find that corporal punishment was wrong per se, it found that parents had the right to object to it's use.

In Ireland, rather than have some students subject to corporal punishment and some not the Department of Education forbid it's use in schools totally. But it was made illegal in 1996 or 97. Both my children, born '81 and '86, say it was still in use, occasionally, in their schooldays.

When it was used regularly, in my school days, 59-72, it was used almost everyday and not just for behaviour. it was used for failure in lessons too.

@ mianders
I started school in 1970 or was it 1971. I never experienced it or heard of it being used in any of my schools. I know of it being used on my godmother because she was left-handed and I can swear on oath that caning her on her left hand only made her able to use both hands to write, but it didn't turn her into a right-handed person.

@ Smachtai
I was no saint but even the religious lessons in year 3 or 4 where I got a time out and send out of the class room, never had any consequence for me. You kept a low profile on the chance the headmaster or headmistress, But not in fear of him/her, but to prevent to be reported to your parents.
While I only got very few hand spankings there was no wish for a repeat performance

A little research re the date that caning/CP became banned in England. The Government of the day passed a bill on 24th March 1998 to ban it effective from the start of the following school year. That raises the question who and when received the cane for the very last time during the summer term of 1998. Northern Ireland was later. Like Smachtai in my school days (63-72) there were masters (two in particular) that used the cane pretty much everyday, and similarly for poor work as well as misbehaviour. A Headmaster caning was a rarer event and given for bullying, theft, truancy, smoking among other offences. Always six strokes and always announced at the following mornings assembly.

@ PGreenham
I was never caned. but I am sure if I had grown up in the English speaking world in 3rd form at elementary school there would have been a good chance that the priest in learning would have used it on most boys every week.
Smoking is a different matter though and hard to measure in form. In Germany elementary school only lasts 4 forms. Secondary school last two years longer though. In the English language world its 6 forms primary school and 6 forms secondary school. In Germany we don't have forms but classes. (4+9 for an A-level equivalent certificate) I guess I started smoking sporadically at 2nd form secondary school taking into account you start school age 6 not 5 like in England or year 8.
Socially I think age 16 was accepted for smoking. Liqueur age was 18. I guess my only reason was, that it was forbidden by my parents. Once it was allowed I never touched a cigarette again. I know of a few friends where the father helped them and offered them a cigar when they got caught. Thinking about it the private talks I had with mine were preferable.
That it was announced was probably the worst part of the punishment. Since I grew up in a rather well behaved part of town the humiliation of something like that being discussed on Saturday when everyone met on the market place would be devastating to your reputation. Back then privacy laws were non existant. You made sure not to become part of gossip.