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As I understand it, the Childrens Act of 1989 had a huge effect on how these places were run. It took a while for the law to filter out into practice so people

by shubb 4y ago

As I understand it, the Childrens Act of 1989 had a huge effect on how these places were run. It took a while for the law to filter out into practice so people who went to private / boarding / posh state schools in the 90s experienced a gradually toned down version. I suspect that in the early years, when physical punishment was banned, the psychological stuff amped up a bit. Even at a state school in the 90s, some things we thought were normal would be shocking and absolutely a child protection issue these days.

arethuza 4y ago
I went to school from in Scotland about 1970 to 1983 - without much difficulty I can think of quite a few situations that I would hope would result in sacking and criminal charges these days. Being a bright kid and usually "teachers pet" I didn't get too much abuse directly but I can remember one poor guy who clearly had learning difficulties getting his face smashed repeatedly slammed into the blackboard by a teacher - we were about 6 at the time. :-(
- jamiek88 4y ago
  My PE teacher locked me in a closet and had the other boys beat me because I was bad at cricket. This was in around 1990 ish. This was a comprehensive school in the north west, working class area. The corruption ran deep. When I told my parents they didn’t believe me and said I was exaggerating. He was a bully who lots of kids hated. He ended up with cancer and there was a whole fundraiser for him etc which I refused to contribute to which was a bit petty. And then as Mark Twain didn’t say ‘I’ve never wished death upon someone but I have read some obituaries with more pleasure than others!’
blackshaw 4y ago
I was surprised to learn recently that corporal punishment wasn't banned in British state schools until 1987, and in private schools until 1999. "Surprised" because by 1999 I'd been attending a British private school for several years and corporal punishment certainly didn't exist at my school, or at any school I knew about. Apparently it was permitted on paper though. I'm not sure how common it still was, if it existed at all. In any case, the worst treatment I received at school was never from the staff and always from the other boys. I can definitely think of some behaviour I saw from pupils back in the day that I'm sure wouldn't be tolerated for a second these days.
- shadowgovt 4y ago
  History is shorter than we think. In the US, I have relatives that were locked in closets by teachers and had their knuckles rapped for using their left hands. A combination of factors (cameras and modern communications systems being two significant ones) have shone a lot of light into what used to be very dark corners.
alexpotato 4y ago
I went to a British private school in the late 80s and I distinctly remember a teacher saying: "While we don't believe in its application at this school, it is perfectly legal for us to use corporal punishment if we so choose." This was to a class of 10 year olds.

by shubb 4y ago

arethuza 4y ago

I went to school from in Scotland about 1970 to 1983 - without much difficulty I can think of quite a few situations that I would hope would result in sacking and criminal charges these days. Being a bright kid and usually "teachers pet" I didn't get too much abuse directly but I can remember one poor guy who clearly had learning difficulties getting his face smashed repeatedly slammed into the blackboard by a teacher - we were about 6 at the time. :-(

jamiek88 4y ago
My PE teacher locked me in a closet and had the other boys beat me because I was bad at cricket. This was in around 1990 ish. This was a comprehensive school in the north west, working class area. The corruption ran deep. When I told my parents they didn’t believe me and said I was exaggerating. He was a bully who lots of kids hated. He ended up with cancer and there was a whole fundraiser for him etc which I refused to contribute to which was a bit petty. And then as Mark Twain didn’t say ‘I’ve never wished death upon someone but I have read some obituaries with more pleasure than others!’

blackshaw 4y ago

I was surprised to learn recently that corporal punishment wasn't banned in British state schools until 1987, and in private schools until 1999. "Surprised" because by 1999 I'd been attending a British private school for several years and corporal punishment certainly didn't exist at my school, or at any school I knew about. Apparently it was permitted on paper though. I'm not sure how common it still was, if it existed at all. In any case, the worst treatment I received at school was never from the staff and always from the other boys. I can definitely think of some behaviour I saw from pupils back in the day that I'm sure wouldn't be tolerated for a second these days.

shadowgovt 4y ago
History is shorter than we think. In the US, I have relatives that were locked in closets by teachers and had their knuckles rapped for using their left hands. A combination of factors (cameras and modern communications systems being two significant ones) have shone a lot of light into what used to be very dark corners.

alexpotato 4y ago

I went to a British private school in the late 80s and I distinctly remember a teacher saying: "While we don't believe in its application at this school, it is perfectly legal for us to use corporal punishment if we so choose." This was to a class of 10 year olds.