I never regarded hand spanking as a school punishment. This was something reserved for pupils of pre-school age and confined to the home. It was a lot more intimate punishment. I think pain thresholds have also changed. In 1940, if you smacked a bottom with your hand there would be very little reaction. If it happened today tears would result. It may be due to other factors other than the sting but the idea of me having a pupil over my knee, as a headmaster, be they boy or girl, bare or over clothing, fills me with a thought of revolution.
School Punishment Book49
