- Painful, perhaps even very painful. I never heard anybody who was caned at that school claim it didn’t hurt.
- Inconveniently time consuming. A Prefect’s caning took about 15 minutes what with the imposed waiting, all attendant ceremonies, and treking up (and then down) several flights of stairs to get to the Prefectorial eyrie at the top of the school’s tower. A Headmaster’s caning might well take longer with even more imposed waiting, associated lecture etc. Both ate into available free time at lunchtime.A Headmaster’s caning went on your report and your school record. However a Prefect’s caning stayed between you and the Prefects, unless you appealed against it to the Headmaster.