My next school was a state primary my sister and I attended as something of a fill-in measure while a house move went through.
Dad had changed jobs, requiring relocation and thus presenting something of a problem, as private schools required you to give a term’s notice before leaving.
Although in the UK private schools are perhaps more strongly associated with corporal punishment,
I have to say that I witnessed more spankings at the state primary in one and a half terms than I did in a whole seven years at my ‘big school’ later on.
Practically every boy in the class, myself included, ended up bending over for a slippering at some point or another.
However, unlike the scary environment at my previous school, when spankings were given here the atmosphere was almost jocular.
Each of the form masters’ slippers (plimsolls, of course) had names – for my first time, I received ‘Archie’.