8. After the abolition of corporal punishment in state schools, the first of the two defenses above would not have been available. Nevertheless, the second would still have been available if the parent had specifically requested it.

Of course, the local authority might not be too pleased if all this happened on school premises, and I wouldn’t put money on the headmaster remaining in post for very long. But this does not affect the separate issue of a legal defense to a charge of battery.

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