Fighting appears repeatedly among the offences described in the survey.
Yet the word itself covers a wide range of behaviour.
At one extreme stood a genuine quarrel.
At the other was what pupils might describe as “messing about” or “play fighting.”
Teachers did not always make the same distinction.
Fighting at Seven
The Scottish respondent mentioned earlier was punished at the age of seven after becoming involved in a playground fight.
He maintained that a local bully had provoked him.
Both boys were nevertheless taken to the deputy headmaster and received the same punishment.
The respondent later questioned whether this was effective.
From his viewpoint, the circumstances had not been sufficiently considered.
Play Fighting
A different case occurred at a West Country grammar school in 1959.
Three boys aged about twelve or thirteen were caught play-fighting on the main staircase.
The headmaster encountered them personally.
They were ordered to wait outside his office and were subsequently given three strokes each.
The respondent regarded the punishment as effective and stated that he was not punished again for that offence.
Why Schools Took It Seriously
The location probably mattered.
Play fighting on a staircase carried an obvious risk of accident.
The headmaster’s lecture, according to the respondent, concentrated upon the danger of foolish behaviour on the stairs.
The punishment was therefore connected not simply with disobedience but with safety.
Serious Fighting
A grammar-school contributor recalled being punished for fighting at the age of fourteen in 1965.
The matter was referred directly to the headmaster.
Again, both boys were punished.
The respondent reported that the incident was not repeated.
Horseplay
The dividing line between fighting and horseplay could be difficult for teachers.
Two friends pushing one another might regard the incident as harmless.
A teacher observing it from a distance might see the beginning of a fight.
The location again influenced the judgement.
Horseplay in a classroom was disruptive.
On a staircase it could be dangerous.
In a changing room it might quickly get out of hand.
Equal Punishment
The practice of punishing both participants simplified discipline but could create injustice when responsibility was unequal.
The Scottish seven-year-old clearly felt this difficulty.
He had been involved in the fight, but believed the other boy had deliberately provoked it.
Thus fighting provides another example of the tension between quick discipline and careful investigation.
The simplest solution was to punish both.
Whether it was always the fairest solution is another question.
