The popular picture of traditional corporal punishment often centres upon a male headmaster. The survey shows that this picture...
It would be mistaken to imagine that corporal punishment was confined to small children. The survey contains numerous examples...
The final question in this section concerns the purpose of punishment itself. Was corporal punishment intended to correct one...
The headmaster’s importance extended beyond the punishments he personally administered. In many schools he represented the final authority behind...
Boarding schools presented disciplinary circumstances quite different from those of ordinary day schools. The pupil did not leave school...
The question “Did corporal punishment work?” sounds simple. The survey demonstrates that it is not. A pupil could be...
Homework appears several times in the survey. A single forgotten exercise might produce a reprimand or lesser penalty. Repeated...
Physical education occupies a distinctive place in the survey evidence. The gymnasium, changing room and playing field operated differently...
Few expressions in school life carried quite the same significance as the words, “Go and see the Head.” The...
Sixty chapters of evidence now allow several broad patterns to be identified. They should not be mistaken for precise...
Certain numbers recur throughout recollections of corporal punishment. Of these, six possesses particular significance. “Six of the best” became...
One of the most difficult questions raised by the survey is whether the severity of punishment corresponded consistently with...