A lady reached out aftet finding my blog online and was keen to tell me her own story. She is happy for me to use her real name but not the schools. If anyone else wants to add their own thoughts or exoerience please get in touch privacy and discretion is assured at all times 

Elizabeths Story

Can you tell us your first name and which school this occurred at? 

I’m Elizabeth, but everyone called me Liz. It was at an  all-girls school in southern England.

Me. How old were you when this happened?  

I was 16, in 1983. Fifth year.

Me.. Can you describe what led up to it?

It was  after lunch. I’d started smoking to seem grown-up, stealing cigarettes from my dad’s pack. That day, I snuck behind the groundskeeper’s shed by the school field to smoke. The shed was hidden by bushes, so I thought I was safe. I was halfway through a cigarette, coughing proberly, when Mrs. Hargreaves, the deputy headmistress, caught me. She’d been patrolling because of smoking rumors. She saw the cigarette, confiscated it, and told me to grab my bag from the cloakroom and follow her to her office. Walking across the field, I felt everyone staring from the classrooms. In her office, she asked where I got the cigarette. I admitted it was mine, and she lectured me about breaking school rules.

Me.. Who was the teacher that caught you, tell us more about her ? 

Mrs. Hargreaves, deputy headmistress. She was in her 40s, tall, short grey hair, very strict. She handled all discipline.

Me.. Describe how you felt being caught? 

I was scared and ashamed. My heart was pounding, hands shaking. I’d never been in serious trouble, and I knew I was in deep. I dreaded my parents finding out.

Me.. What happened next?  

Mrs. Hargreaves sent me back to class but told me to return to her office at the end of the day.

Me.. When did you know you would be caned? 

At 4 p.m., I went back to her office. She said she’d consulted the headmistress, and I’d receive four strokes of the cane the next morning for smoking. She told me to wear my PE shorts and report at 8 a.m.

Me.. How did you feel? 

I was terrified. I didn’t sleep, dreading the pain and embarrassment. I felt stupid for smoking and scared of how it would hurt.

Me.. Describe the caning and what were you wearing?  

I wore my PE shorts, grey, thin, and tight, ending at mid-thigh, with a white blouse. At 8 a.m., I reported to Mrs. Hargreaves’ office. A thin cane, about three feet long, was on her desk. She told me to bend over a chair, grip the seat, and count each stroke aloud. I bent over, the shorts stretched tight across my bottom, feeling exposed.  

The first stroke hit across the middle of my bottom. It stung sharply. I said, “One.” The second landed just below, burning more. I said, “Two.” The third struck the lower part, near my thighs, very painful. I said, “Three.” The fourth, diagonal across the others, was the hardest. I said, “Four,” tears in my eyes. Each stroke left a welt, felt through the shorts. She told me to stand and said the punishment was over. I left, my bottom sore, walking carefully.

Me.. How did you feel after?  

I was sore and embarrassed. Sitting hurt all day, and I kept my head down, sure everyone knew. I felt guilty but relieved it was done. The welts faded in a week.

Me.. How did you feel about the person that caned you?  

I didn’t hate Mrs. Hargreaves. She was strict but fair, just doing her job. I respected her consistency, even if I feared her.

Me.. How do you feel about it when you look back on it all these years later, and why and how did you come across my story blog?  

At 58, in 2025, I see the caning as harsh but effective. It stopped me from smoking for good. In the 1980s, it was normal at schools like mine, but now I think it was too severe—detention could’ve worked without the pain and shame. It was humiliating, feeling so exposed, and I wouldn’t want my kids punished like that. Still, it taught me to avoid dumb choices, and I’m not bitter; it was a different time. I found your blog last month while searching online about my old school, curious about others’ experiences. Your posts on school discipline brought back that day, so I shared my story. It’s strange to look back, but it shaped who I am.