One Birmingham punishment book covering 1932 to 1951 is particularly interesting because of how little punishment it contains.
Across 19 school years there were just 50 entries — approximately two or three recorded canings per year.
Most involved two strokes to the hand, with punishments ranging from one to four strokes.
Throwing stones appears surprisingly frequently.
Disobedience also features prominently.
There are entries concerning what was described simply as “dirty behaviour”, while perhaps the strangest offence involved setting fire to clothing.
One can only imagine the circumstances behind that particular entry.
Smoking, surprisingly, doesn’t appear at all.
Yet there is good reason to be cautious.
Was this really an exceptionally gentle school?
Possibly.
But there may have been several punishment books for different departments, or teachers may have dealt with lesser offences without making formal entries.
Once again, the records raise almost as many questions as they answer.
