corporal punishment in schools uk

But this was unusual, and the great majority of slipperings in British schools are believed to have gone unrecorded. [171], Spain banned school corporal punishment in 1985 under article 6 of the Right to Education (Organization) Act 8/1985. [25], A number of medical, pediatric or psychological societies have issued statements opposing all forms of corporal punishment in schools, citing such outcomes as poorer academic achievements, increases in antisocial behaviours, injuries to students, and an unwelcoming learning environment. See also this May 1978 news item about unofficial slippering at a famous boys' comprehensive school in inner London. As enacted, the law had a loophole: parents, provided they were not school staff, could still discipline their children on school grounds. Such punishment continues to be used,[227] and there are frequent media reports of excessive corporal punishment in schools. [210], Schools had to keep a record of punishments inflicted,[211] and there are occasional press reports of examples of these "punishment books" having survived. Corporal punishment used to be prevalent in schools in many parts of the world, but in recent decades it has been outlawed in 128 countries including all of Europe, most of South America, as well as in Canada, Japan, South Africa, New Zealand and several other countries. The ILEA had already put a stop to CP in primary schools with effect from 1973. [118] As recently as December 2012, a high school student died by suicide after having been constantly beaten by his basketball coach. [114], On 25 January 2000, the Supreme Court of Israel issued the landmark Plonit decision ruling that "corporal punishment of children by their parents is never educational", "always causes serious harm to the children" and "is indefensible". The original application was by the boy's mother, who was "horrified" when she saw the "injuries" on Matthew's backside, but it is interesting that he showed them to her only after his sister called attention to them, and he himself had not spontaneously thought the matter worthy of mention upon his arrival home that day. [192], In state-run schools, and in private schools where at least part of the funding came from government, corporal punishment was outlawed by the British Parliament on 22 July 1986, following a 1982 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that such punishment could no longer be administered without parental consent, and that a child's "right to education" could not be infringed by suspending children who, with parental approval, refused to submit to corporal punishment. It was a mild example of what Americans call "locker-room culture", an often semi-jocular experience in an often "macho" atmosphere. One also hears of rulers having been rapped across knuckles, but I am not sure if this was common. He was often caned at Stouts Hill prep school around 1970, but harbours no grudges. I have heard of at least one Birmingham secondary modern school in the 1960s where this caning allegedly took place "there and then", in front of the members of the "court", but I suspect this, if true, was quite unusual. It was not completely abolished everywhere (2) Whoever contravenes the provisions of sub-section (1) shall be liable to disciplinary action under the service rules applicable to such person." [UPDATE: This is more or less what later happened in Williamson, the "Christian schools" case, see above.]. Corporal punishment Most teachers would hold the implement by its heel and apply the sole to the offender, but some maintained that it was even more effective the other way round, with the heavier heel end being the part that made contact. Another example is this 1937 appeal hearing, in which a headmaster's conviction for assault was overturned, even though the caned boy was said in evidence to be severely bruised. Web(1) Corporal punishment given by, or on the authority of, a member of staff to a child (a) for whom education is provided at any school, or (b) for whom education is provided, The National Policy for Children 2013 states that in education, the state shall "ensure no child is subjected to any physical punishment or mental harassment" and "promote positive engagement to impart discipline so as to provide children with a good learning experience". Common reasons for punishment include talking in class, not finishing homework, mistakes made with classwork, fighting, and truancy. At secondary level, a rattan cane (not bamboo as often wrongly stated) perhaps 36 to 40 inches long would be a typical implement, especially for disciplining boys. [9], Poland was the first nation to outlaw corporal punishment in schools in 1783. In primary schools (ages 5 to 11), and in the pre-1950s all-through elementary schools (age up to 13), slapping with the hand, applied to bottoms or hands or arms or legs, appears to have been the physical punishment of choice. [2] However, some schools in Alberta had been using the strap up until the ban in 2004. [87] The subject received extensive media coverage, and corporal punishment became obsolete as the practice was widely seen as degrading and inhumane. Much more often, though, in the rare instances where corporal punishment cases reached the stage of prosecution, heads and teachers were vindicated by the courts, which generally upheld the punishment as "reasonable" and therefore lawful. (See list of countries, below.). (2) These varied a lot, but most were not very specific about the modus operandi. Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health", "Corporal punishment in schools. [23][89], Colombian private and public schools were banned from using "penalties involving physical or psychological abuse" through the Children and Adolescents Code 2006, though it is not clear whether this also applies to indigenous communities. The student might be asked to stand in front of it and put his or her hands or elbows on the seat, or to stand behind it and bend over its back. Verbatim record of a House of Commons debate on the March 1998 legislation which had the effect of banning corporal punishment in all private schools in England and Wales, CP in state schools having been outlawed 11 years earlier. As far as I know, this is what the 1986 legislation already said, so perhaps this was just a consolidating act. Punishments include hitting with rebenques and slapping in the face. [91], Corporal punishment is outlawed under Article 31 of the Education Act. This campaign gave rise to a joke on the left of the NUT that NASUWT stood for "National Association of Sadists and Union of Women Torturers". The punishment was administered by the headmaster, Mr Blackshaw, who allegedly took a run-up at each stroke (though this was denied by the authorities). Text of legislation prohibiting corporal punishment of any student, whether in a state or independent school, whose education is to any extent publicly funded. This kind of arrangement seems to have been typical of many secondary schools. The Rules authorising this should be repealed. In 2014, the Ministry of Human Resources Development issued guidance ("Advisory for Eliminating Corporal Punishment in Schools under Section 35(1) of the RTE Act 2009") which sets out the national law relevant to corporal punishment in schools, the international human rights standards, steps that may be taken to promote positive child Some 20% of secondary schools did so in the 1970s, according to informal guesstimates by STOPP. From the 1917 Russian revolution onwards, corporal punishment was outlawed in the Soviet Union, because it was deemed contrary to communist ideology. As of 2019, 32 states and the District of Columbia have banned corporal punishment in public schools, though in some of these there is no explicit prohibition. [133], In New Zealand's schools, corporal punishment was used commonly on both girls and boys. Stephen Fry on Corporal Punishment [143] Teachers who administer corporal punishment can be found guilty of physical assault, resulting in termination and cancellation of teacher registration, and possibly criminal charges, with a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment.[144]. also constituted "philosophical convictions" and that they were therefore being denied an education in accordance therewith, since no schools are now allowed to use any corporal punishment. In schools it may involve striking the student on the buttocks or on the palms of their hands[1][2] with an implement such as a rattan cane, wooden paddle, slipper, leather strap or wooden yardstick. If the modern system of "school choice" had been in operation then -- or even if the local education authority had made an effort quietly to find ways of satisfying the requirements of a tiny number of (in my personal view) cranky parents, instead of being so arrogant and rigid about the whole thing -- the case would never have got off the ground and things might have gone differently over the last 40 years. And as recently as 2012 the co-founder and chairman of the governors of the most high-profile of the then brand-new so-called "Free Schools" said he would happily restore CP if it were allowed. It remains commonplace in a number of countries in Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East (see list of countries, below). The use of corporal punishment in schools was prohibited by the South African Schools Act, 1996. The term corporal punishment derives from the Latin word for the "body", corpus. However, the court did hold that the boys had been deprived of their right to an education in keeping with their parents' views, contrary to Article 2 ("the State shall respect the right of parents to ensure such education in conformity with their own religious and philosophical convictions"). educational institution in conformity with human dignity and, in that regard, he has the right not to be subjected to corporal or degrading disciplinary measures. Private schools, about which even fewer generalisations are possible, will have to await separate treatment elsewhere. WebThis judgement led indirectly to the use of the tawse (and all other forms of corporal punishment) being banned by law in UK state schools. Spare the Rod Privately funded schools came a little bit later: 1998 in England and Wales, 2000 in The article is illustrated with pictures of a gym shoe said to have been used for the purpose at a different school in the 1970s. DFEECircular No 10/98 According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), there are three broad rationales for the use of corporal punishment in schools: beliefs, based in traditional religion, that adults have a right, if not a duty, to physically punish misbehaving children; a disciplinary philosophy that corporal punishment builds character, being necessary for the development of a child's conscience and their respect for adult authority figures; and beliefs concerning the needs and rights of teachers, specifically that corporal punishment is essential for maintaining order and control in the classroom. Just one LEA, Coventry, bizarrely required all canings for both sexes, even at secondary level, to be applied to offenders' hands and not to their backsides. [155], Corporal punishment of children remains legal in schools, homes, alternative care and day-care centres. In fact it had no such effect, and the Head Teachers' union advised its members to continue to be "cautious" about using CP on girls. [96], Corporal punishment in public schools was banned in 1914, but remained de facto commonplace until 1984, when a law banning all corporal punishment of minors, whether in schools or in the home, was introduced. Its physical punishment, spanking , strapping, gym plimsoll, hand or cane on pupils bottoms, sometimes bare bottom. [75], Corporal punishment in all settings, including schools, was prohibited in Bolivia in 2014. Four independent Christian schools [7] They say that evidence links corporal punishment of students to a number of adverse outcomes, including: "increased aggressive and destructive behaviour, increased disruptive classroom behaviour, vandalism, poor school achievement, poor attention span, increased drop-out rate, school avoidance and school phobia, low self-esteem, anxiety, somatic complaints, depression, suicide and retaliation against teachers". School corporal punishment, historically widespread, was outlawed in different states via their administrative law at different times. There was the odd exception like Northwich Girls' Grammar School; but even there, the formidable Miss Janet Dines claimed she had hardly used the cane in ten years before the event that got her into all the newspapers in 1976. Lesser sins in a great many boys' schools were often dealt with by an informal slippering (see below). Most secondary schools (whether independent, autonomous or government-controlled), and also some primary schools, use caning to deal with misconduct by boys. See news report of 14 November 1992, Public schoolboy awarded 8,000 for caning ordeal, which includes a picture of Matthew, by then aged 25. Around 60% of children aged 214 years regularly suffer physical punishment by their parents or other caregivers. [166] Other more conservative regions are governed by a national law enacted in 2011 which states that while caning is generally forbidden, it can be used indirectly to maintain school discipline. The number of strikes must not be more than four for each occurrence. A few Christian private schools held out, and fought the ban through the courts, ultimately without success (see links below). European Court of Human Rights, Strasbourg, 25 March 1993", "The States Where Teachers Can Still Spank Students", "Prohibition of all corporal punishment in Venezuela (2007)", "Promoting positive discipline in school", VIET NAM BRIEFING FOR THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL UNIVERSAL PERIODIC REVIEW HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL UNIVERSAL PERIODIC REVIEW 5th session, 2008, "Hanoi in shock after teacher beats primary school students for being late - VnExpress International", "SCHOOL CORPORAL PUNISHMENT: video clips: Vietnam - caning of schoolgirls", "SCHOOL CORPORAL PUNISHMENT: video clips: Vietnam - caning of secondary boys and girls", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=School_corporal_punishment&oldid=1136396437, Articles with Spanish-language sources (es), All articles with bare URLs for citations, Articles with bare URLs for citations from March 2022, Articles with PDF format bare URLs for citations, CS1 Chinese (Malaysia)-language sources (zh-my), Articles with dead external links from July 2021, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2021, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from December 2021, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2009, Articles lacking reliable references from March 2018, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Americans for a Society Free from Age Restrictions, This page was last edited on 30 January 2023, at 03:29. An extract from the ubiquitous polymath's memoir Moab Is My Washpot (1997). [176], The proverb "If you love your cow, tie it up; if you love your child, beat him" is still considered "wisdom" and is held by many Thai parents and teachers. School corporal punishment is the deliberate infliction of physical pain as a response to undesired behavior by students. [213][214][215][216], Prior to the ban in private schools in England, the slippering of a student at an independent boarding school was challenged in 1993 before the European Court of Human Rights. On Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health '', corpus see below ) rulers! Often caned at Stouts Hill prep school around 1970, but most were very... Without success ( see below ) and day-care centres 133 ], Spain banned school corporal derives... The `` body '', corpus have gone unrecorded 75 ], corporal punishment in 1985 under 6! 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