Most of the time, in fact practically always, boys just accepted their fate. They bent over when they were told and stayed in position until they were told to get up. I have been racking my brain trying to recall the few isolated instances when there was some attempt to persuade the teacher to change his mind, for example by offering an excuse. Lateness was one area where there was some, albeit remote, chance of getting a reprieve. Boys who came to school by bus or train occasionally managed to convince the teacher that they were late through no fault of their own but simply because they had been let down by British Rail as we called it in those distant days or by the bus company.
The Slipper in UK Schools30
