I remember the senior housemaster more than once actually showing the slipper to prospective parents, as evidence of the firm but “homely” regime in the boarding house. We did also sometimes reach for any pupil’s slipper which was handy when instant justice was required – again of smaller rather than larger size.
The slipper survived, both in day and boarding, for a good few years – beyond the 1987 ban which of course only applied in state schools. We phased out the rather random and casual use by staff in classrooms and changing rooms, limiting it to two or three specific staff who would apply it in their office.
