As far as I can recall student teachers(female of course)were allowed to smack the girls, but most were too timid to try. I remember once being very cheeky to a very young student teacher who was taking yard duty. She took me into an empty classroom and tried to give me a smacking but did not have a clue. It was a joke, so I just laughed it off. But the senior mistress found out about it and I got 6 of the best with the slipper later on. I am not sure how the senior mistress found out about it. Maybe one of the other teachers told her.