The correct course of action, I guess, was to send us to the office, but instead, he lined his offenders up and used a skipping rope (amongst other objects) on our backsides – nothing serious, just a short sharp sting that made you jump.

The embarrassment of being thus treated in front of the group tended to do the job. Again, no-one complained, it was better than getting the “cuts”.

Regulation is an insurance policy for a risk-averse community but it prevents situations from being dealt with in the most efficient manner by the trained person on the spot. That is a pity.