Web Page 1098
22nd November 2012

Top Picture : Pupils at Solent Road School in 1955.I am front left!

Second Picture: Left of this picture is Court Lane Junior School, Beaconsfield Avenuethen Lonsdale Avenue.

Discipline at School

Over the years during our school lives the forms of discipline and the fear of being punished varied with our ages. Looking back now I can realise just how incredibly difficult it was, and still is to keep control in the classroom. Punishments varied depending upon the not only the area of the City you lived in but also from which part of the country you lived in.

Lets start with infant school, I never remember behaviour being a problem in those tender years as we were more likely to burst into tears and want our Mums than anything else so to keep control the infant teacher had to have, and I suspect still has to have, a delicate touch. But by the time we went to Junior School we were becoming individuals and consequently we needed control. Like a lot of you my junior school was Solent Road in Drayton and it was here that we first encountered male schoolteachers because up until then all the infant teachers has been female. The masters seemed to acquire a firm reputation and there were a couple that were liberal with the use of the cane whereas the lady teachers seemed to exert control by sheer personality, i.e. they scared us. Miss Waters is one I remember I was terrified of and was very grateful when she was promoted to be the head of Court Lane Infants and left us. The masters at Solent Road were an unusual bunch, some to us seemed very elderly, one was very strange and the Headmaster, Mr Hawkins, was a distant and remote figure.

One of the worst punishments, apart from standing in the corner was being kept in at playtime, we hated this as we missed out on the games all our mates played but likewise I am sure the teachers hated it as well as they had to stay with us and supervise and so miss the chat in the classroom. Then there was being sent to the Headmaster but this was very rare in junior school. But the ultimate deterrent was the cane for us lads; I don’t know what it was for you girls. The best-known cane swinger at Solent Road was Mr. King, a strong disciplinarian but for some reason most of us liked him. I can only remember receiving the cane off him on one occasion and that was one stroke across the hand. Mr White was also a stern disciplinarian and had three thick canes which he kept in a cardboard tube on top of his cupboard. Here we come to the difference as to areas of the country. My wife went to junior school in my hometown of Newcastle upon Tyne and things were very different there she says. In the North East the cane was rarer but the strap ruled and was often used and the girls did not get away with anything either they were punished, by a female member of staff, with the slipper!  

When we moved onto manor Court the forms of discipline changed the cane was used less frequently and only by the headmaster, lines, being sent for a dressing down by the headmaster and detention were the major forms of punishment. 

Lets take these one at a time. Firstly being sent to the headmaster, first it was Wally Dunstan, he was a kind gentle man and I really cannot see him ever loosing his temper or doling out strokes of the cane, he maintained control by his personality; later, of course it was Reg Davis. It must have been difficult for him to maintain control because after about the second year most of the boys were taller than him and by the third year we towered over him. He was known to use the cane on a fairly regular basis but only on the boys, the girls were dealt with by Miss Joyce Pipe. We all know of Miss Pipe so maybe one of you girls would like to write about her form of discipline for the girls in the school, you would be far more qualified that I am.

The handing out of lines and detention were the usual punishments, lines were handed into the teacher but detention mare and more became the province of the Prefects. As Prefects we were given a fair amount of power but were expected to work for it. We could hand out detentions for school misdemeanours, lateness and bad behaviour. The down side was that we were expected to run the detention classes so we had to stay behind as well, a double-edged sword!!!  Although we did always have the backing of the teachers. It would be interesting to look at a record (if one existed) of who we put into detention it would make interesting reading. For example Melv Bridger and I normally did late duty in the morning and lunchtime (it got us out of assembly) and we still thing that we could compile a list of those who were always late.

Now who is the auburn haired lad with the red jumper coming down Scholars Walk, oh yes him again John …………………………… 

Stay in Touch

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com

Pj.keat@ntlworld.co.uk

You Write:

News and Views:

Mick Jagger is producing a film on the life of James Brown. There's no word on casting and even distribution hasn't been arranged Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth will be writing the film and Tate Taylor is in talks to direct. Said Mick, "I have been hoping to make the James Brown biopic because he was one of the most electric, exciting stage performers of all time. It's a great honour to be involved with a project as rich as the story of the legendary James Brown. He was a mesmerizing performer with a fascinating life."

On this day 22nd November 1960-1965

On 22/11/1960 the number one single was It's Now Or Never - Elvis Presley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Labour Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 22/11/1961 the number one single was Little Sister/His Latest Flame - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Ipswich Town. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25.The big news story of the day was Sunday Night at the London Palladium (ATV)".

On 22/11/1962 the number one single was Lovesick Blues - Frank Ifield and the number one album was Out of the Shadows - Shadows. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 22/11/1963 the number one single was She Loves You - The Beatles and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was 119 killed in Montreal jet crash.

On 22/11/1964 the number one single was Baby Love - Supremes and the number one album was A Hard Day's Night - Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 22/11/1965 the number one single was The Carnival is Over - Seekers and the number one album was The Sound of Music Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news of the day Mrs Mary Whitehouse formed the National Viewers Association