When I began teaching, the conventions of my school required me, when caning, to limit myself to six strokes of the cane applied across a boys normal clothing. Senior staff however were given the discretion to exceed six strokes (there was no absolute maximum ever explicitly stated but it was understood that twelve strokes was the absolute upper limit that could ever be countenanced) and also to cane on the bottom if they believed it was reasonable in very serious cases of misbehaviour. Taken together, this meant that the most severe caning that could ever be imposed was twelve strokes on the bottom, and I do believe that such canings were inflicted on occasion.