Hello Another_Lurker,

The Forum search engine appears to be working for me and the most recent thread on Punishment Books initiated by the esteemed member Oliver_Sidney himself is here, and it makes very good reading.  Regarding uploading photos, I only do it for the benefit of the good folk on here.  All my images are stored on external hard drives.  I opted to use Photobucket for here as it was easy and it just required an e-mail, and no phone number to sign up.  I may at some point revert to tapatalk, especially should photobucket close my account.

Hello Oliver_Sidney,

I’ll get around to uploading the images I have acquired in your old thread in the not too distant future. Regarding obtaining how punishment books were used, I think the best bet would to be to scour school/nostalgia groups were former teachers are active members.  This afternoon I found a contribution from a former teaching assisting at a Milton Keynes Middle School who on the 21^st July 2013 in reference to a ‘Slippering’ post replied:

‘I rescued the old punishment book – from Bushfield in the 80s( something else I squirrelled away!) School closed now-I’ll have a look in September. I know Mr. Speaks hated doing it and the reasons given (which had to be recorded) seem pretty minor misdemeanors……..’

As of yet, I’ve not found any evidence that the good lady posted any information from it.  However, based on her statement it seems that the book was still stored within the school premises 10 years ago.

In reference to the punishment book template you posted that is pretty much the standardized layout.  Moreover, the school mentioned is not in my database so I’ll be sure to check it out when I research Wales.

Hello I Researcher

Thank you very much for your post. I would certainly be interested to see the images when you get a chance.

A little frightening that I had totally forgotten one of the very few threads I have started. I asked the roughly the same questions two+ years ago, and received some excellent responses. Of course I would always like more.

and onto Buckinghamshire:

Bounty Street (Secondary) – Milton Keynes

Diane – b1940 – Slipper across unspecified anatomy by male teacher – 1951 to 1955
Barbara – b1940 – Slipper across unspecified anatomy by male teacher – 1951 to 1955

Bushfield (Middle) – Milton Keynes

Debbie – b1965 – Hand across legs & slipper across unspecified anatomy by male teachers – 1974 to 1977

Danesfield (Primary) – Marlow

Marianne -b1956 – Slipper across unspecified anatomy by female teacher (in front of assembly – 1961 to 1967
Helen – b1956 – Slipper across unspecified anatomy by female teacher (in front of assembly – 1961 to 1967

Great Marlow (Secondary) – Marlow

Lesley – b1952 – Cane across bottom by male teacher – 1963 to 1967
Penny – b1962 – Slipper across bottom by male teacher – 1973 to 1978
Pauline – b1966 – Slipper across unspecified anatomy by male teacher – 1977 to 1982
Denise – b1969 – Slipper across unspecified anatomy by male teacher – 1980 to 1983

Hatters Lane (Secondary)- High Wycombe

Carol – b1949 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1960 to 1965
Ann – b1958 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1969 to 1974
Kerrie – b1958 – Cane across hands by female teacher – 1969 to 1974
Suzanne – b1958 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1969 to 1974
Sharonne – b1958 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1969 to 1974
Nicola – b1960 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by unnamed teacher – 1971 to 1976
Dawn (A) – b1963 – Cane across hand by unnamed teacher – 1964 to 1979
Kate – b1965 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by unnamed teachers – 1976 to 1981
Jane – b1965 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1976 to 1981
Sharon – b1965 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1976 to 1981
Debbie – b1965 – Cane across hand by unnamed teachers – 1976 to 1981
Amanda – b1966 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1977 to 1982
Jackie – b1967 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1979 to 1983
Dawn (B) – b1969 – Cane across hands by female teachers – 1980 to 198
Sue – b1969 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1980 to 1985
Sian – b1970– Cane across hand by unnamed teachers – 1981 to 1986
Kerry – b1970 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1981 to 1986
Jayne – b1970 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by unnamed teachers – 1981 to 1986
Christine – b1971 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by unnamed teachers – 1983 to 1987

Pembroke (Secondary) – Flackwell Heath

Jenny –  b1962 – Cane across bottom by male teacher (implied) – 1973 to 1978
Jayne – b1962 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by unnamed teacher – 1973 to 1978
Lynne – b1962 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by unnamed teachers – 1973 to 1978
Collette – b1964 – Cane & slipper across unspecified anatomy by female teachers – 1975 to 1980
Helen – b1964 – Slipper across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1975 to 1980
Eileen – b1966 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1977 to 1982
Haley – b1968 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by unnamed teacher – 1979
Georgia – b1968 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by unnamed teacher – 1979

Priory (Primary) – High Wycombe

Claire – b1968 – Cane across hand by male teacher & slipper across unspecified anatomy by female teacher and mouth washed out with soap – 1977

Quarrendon (Secondary) – Aylesbury

Joan – b1947 – Cane across hand by female teacher – 1958 to 1962
Sheila – b1948 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1959 to 1963
Frances – b1948 – Cane across hand by male teacher – 1959 to 1963
Jo – b1948 – Slipper across bottom by male teacher – 1959 to 1963
Ros – b1953 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1964 to 1968
Mary – b1956 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by unnamed teacher – 1967 to 1971
Lynn – b1958 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by unnamed teacher – 1969 to 197
Su – b1965 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by unnamed teacher – 1976 to 1981

Radcliffe (Secondary) – Milton Keynes

Helen – b1956 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1967 to 1972
Sylvia – b1958 – Cane across hand by female teacher – 1969 to 1974
Beverley –  b1963 – Cane across hand by female teacher – 1974 to 197
Debbie – b1965 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female & male teacher – 1977 to 198
Elaine – b1965 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1977 to 1981

St Peter’s (Primary) – Marlow

Doreen – b1947 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by male teacher – 1952 to 1958
Katie – b1960 – Cane & slipper across unspecified anatomy by unnamed teachers – 1965 to 1971

Tinkers Wood (Primary) – Downley

Dee – b1971 – Slipper across bottom by male teacher – 1981
Sarah – b1972 – Slipper across unspecified anatomy by male teacher – 1983
Jo – b1973 – Slipper across unspecified anatomy by male teacher – 1978 to 1984

Wendover (Primary) – Wendover

Christine – b1947 – Slipper across bottom by male teacher – 1952 to 1958
Sally – b1953 Cane cross unspecified anatomy & hand across bottom (over the knee) by male teachers – 1961 to 1964
Annie -b1953 – Hand across bottom by male teacher (over the knee) – 1961 to 1964
Diana – b1953 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by male teacher – 1961 to 1968
Diane – b1953 – Hand/slipper across bottom by male teacher (over the knee) – 1960 to 1964

Wing (Secondary) – Wing

Nula – b1968 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by unnamed teacher – 1979 to 1984

So far we’re not getting great numbers, however I’m confident that Hampshire and Kent will have a greater yield.

I’m also fairly certain that some of you will have questions regarding these Buckinghamshire accounts, so feel free to ask away.

Thank you, I, Researcher, another superb collection.

As I am a long time student of the psychology of being whacked in front of the school, do you perchance have any further details of Marianne and Helen, born 1956 and slippered in front of ‘assembly’, presumably the whole school, at Danesfield Primary School, Marlow during 1961 – 1967?   Quite an unusual punishment for a primary school I’d have thought.  Were they punished together for the same incident?

Another fine bit of researcher from I, Researcher! I have to say that Buckinghamshire can’t really be seen as either west or east. It is very much central England east/west wise.
Lots of mentions of primary schools here. I grew up in the 50s/60s so I myself have first hand knowledge of that era. Primary schools particularly the infants section treated boys and girls much alike. The junior section, 7 to 11, usually saw girls and boys treated a bit differently. SCP in senior schools was usually quite different for girls and boys. Some mixed senior schools only used CP on just the boys. Other mixed schools used the cane on the boys and only the slipper on the girls. Some used no SCP at all.
I don’t think that I have seen much mention here of parents’ reactions to their sons or daughters receiving SCP. Unless a parent back then thought a punishment was excessive or unfair back then it was accepted as part of school life. It also has to be remembered that in the past many parents used spanking at home as family discipline too . I remember some boys accepting the slipper at school without any fuss whereas others seemed quite scared of it. Could this have meant some were used to being spanked at home?
Home discipline varied greatly from family to family. Spanking at home wasn’t seen wrong back then provided it was fair and not excessive.  However plenty of parents saw no need for it.
We have to remember that we are talking here of over half a century ago. Times and attitudes have changed and so has UK law.

Hello Another_Lurker

You are correct in that both girls were allegedly slippered at the same time.  Within two separate nostalgia groups Marianne recalls what I presume is the incident:

‘Slipper at Danesfield (on stage during assembly) thank you Mrs ‘B’ Belsen’

&

‘i went to Danesfield until the last year or two when I changed to Holy Trinity (I was born ’56). Miss Belson slippered me and Helen [surname omitted] on stage during ensembly in front of the whole school! Not my favourite person!’

Unfortunately, I have no further details as of yet.

Excellent work again by I, Researcher.
I am looking forward to seeing Hampshire and Kent as I knew both areas as a child.

Hello I, Researcher,

Thank you for another very prompt response providing all the available data on a queried incident.

It is a great pity that the ladies whose Face Book memories of received SCP you so carefully and comprehensively record are not for the most part possessed of complete recollection and expert recording ability to catalogue their juvenile infractions and the painful penalties they entailed.

We earnest seekers after the truth about SCP researchers into the punitive practices of past times really need full details to satisfy our prurient prying academic acquisitiveness:

Infraction committed?   Location where punishment administered?  Area of body targeted by punishment?  Punitive implement deployed and who wielded it?   Punitive posture enforced?  Any clothing adjustment?   Number of strokes?  Degree of visible regret and remorse elicited from recipient during punishment on a scale of 1 to 10?  Any witnesses?  Punishment book entry completed or not?  Any  further comments or other significant details?

Without these vital details how are we ever to get a real grasp of the extent and nature of schoolgirl whackings? 

I agree with Another_Lurker but may I suggest that in some the details from SCP record books only carried very basic details required by the particular school. If that school always used the same implement in the same way and by the headteacher there would be no need to give more  details, for example if a girls’ school only caned across the hands as  many did there would be no need to give any more details other details. For example; Mary Smith, 14, talking in class, 2 strokes and the date would be sufficient.
We have to remember that the purpose of these books was not for people like us to view many years after!