I went to a school in north London during the 1970s and the cane was still very much in use. I was unfortunate enough to be sent for a whacking quite a few times during my time there.
The cane was always given at the end of the school day, and there would generally be a queue of unhappy looking boys (and the occasional girl) outside the head’s study. Everyone knew what we were all there for – we all knew we’d be going home with a sore bottom. Sometimes there was muted discussions about the reason for being there, but mostly we were too embarrassed to discuss it, particularly if there was a girl there.