First Day at St Cuthberts

by Rod Birch

St Cuthberts Private School for Troublesome Boys - ages 10 to 18

Extracts from the Prospectus:

"We take Boys who do no appear to have the necessary self-discipline needed for mainstream boys' schools."

"Corporal punishment is used in the school. Parents who have any objections whatsoever to physical punishment, by whatever means, should not enter their sons in this school"

All the boys arriving for the first time each term received letters from Mr O'Brien, the Head teacher saying simply the following:

"You are welcome to St Cuthberts.

"You will arrive at or before 9:00 a. m. on the first day of term. You will be wearing the proscribed school uniform (see appendix) nothing more and nothing less. You will also bring with you the following items in a carrier bag." (list omitted) "All other equipment, clothing etc will be provided."

"On arrival at the school, you will wait in the playground until summoned by a member of staff. You will then be escorted to the school hall where a short presentation on the school rules will be given and then you will be allocated to your form masters. Polite and proper behaviour is expected at all times."

Jeremy Jones (expelled from his middle school) received just such a letter and was duly delivered at the appointed day and time.

Jeremy followed all instructions in the letter, to the letter, and on his first morning was eventually ushered with the other new boys, into the hall of St Cuthberts School.

The boys, mostly of ten or eleven years old, were told firmly, but politely, to sit cross legged on the floor to await Mr O'Brien. All the boys were naughty, that was why they were there. Most had been expelled from school at least once, although some had simply been refused a place at their parent's choice of school on grounds of "bad behaviour record" and were there as a punishment. However, as new boys, they were too nervous to cause the school staff any aggravation on this day.

So squatting on the floor, they awaited Mr O'Brien's speech. They did not have long to wait. Mr O'Brien walked purposely onto the stage at the front of the hall. He was in his late forties, suntanned (following the summer holidays) thin and tall. Every inch the PE Teacher he had been before becoming a head teacher of a school for wayward boys.

"Boys, you are welcome to St Cuthberts" he began "this school is, as I am sure you know, intended for boys who have misbehaved. Do not think that this is a school for failures. It is not. We, the staff, with the support of the Governors, aim to instill discipline into the boys of the school, so that they can progress academically. Last year three of our boys went to Girton, Cambridge, and another three to St Hilda's, Oxford."

He waited a second for applause, but remembering that most ten and eleven year old boys do not know about Oxford and Cambridge Universities (except as a boat race) continued..

"So discipline is the main theme and the ethos of this school, followed ever so closely by academic success. You will all receive detailed notes on the school rules when you leave this room and join your forms. The purpose of this assembly today is to illustrate publicly the sanctions which the school will apply in the case of misbehaviour, or in the case of laziness in academic study."

Watching closely, Jeremy noticed that there was a large black bag under the table behind the head master. Mr O'Brien reached into it and drew out a large plimsol. "All members of staff have one of these" said Mr O'Brien waving it in the air. "They are permitted to deliver up to six strokes with this implement to any boy they deem to have deserved it. Clothed, or on the bare bottom. The punishment may be in private, or in front of the class." He waved the slipper in the air before placing it on the table. "Oh, I forgot, any member of staff may deliver a hand spanking to any boy at any time...always on the bare and always in front of the class."

He paused for effect. All the boys had at least been slippered before, but Mr O'Brien was just warming up...

"All other punishments are administered by me. There are two rooms in my offices. One you will all see from time to time, and another which most of you, I'm afraid, will see, if you require more severe punishment. In it there is a school chair, and a vaulting horse. I can apply many punishment instruments, and I will demonstrate now. Simon!"

A slight boy of twelve or just maybe thirteen years old was ushered on stage. He was blond, although his hair was thin and straggly, and he looked like he might have been crying. He was wearing the school's official gym kit - T-shirt and cotton shorts.

"This is Simon," said Mr O'Brien "He joined the school last year. Since then he has been punished more than once in my spanking office and, although he is far from being the worst offender, has been chosen at random from those punished by me last year to illustrate for you what a proper punishment is."

At a sign from Mr O'Brien, an adult size chair was brought on stage.

"Simon, bend over the seat of that chair, your bottom pointing towards the new boys." said Mr O'Brien straightforwardly. Simon did so, his body slightly shaking. "Good" said Mr O'Brien, "I do not expect you to move until I say so. Do you understand?" Simon said a silent "Yes Sir", which only Mr O'Brien could have heard.

Mr O'Brien bent forward and put his fingers under the waistband of Simon's shorts and pulled them down around Simon's knees.

"I always punish on the bare" Mr O'Brien said to the audience "This is not to be cruel, but so I can see what damage is being inflicted."

"The first illustration," said Mr O'Brien retrieving the object from the table, "is the slipper I have referred to. Not to be despised!"

<>, <> and the plimsoll cracked down from Mr O'Brien's full height one stroke to each of Simon's exposed buttocks. Simon's bottom bucked at the strokes, but he did not even try to stand and he remained silent.

The audience was silent too. They had never witnessed so hard a slippering, the gym shoe raised to such a height.

After a moment, Simon could be heard sobbing gently. Mr O'Brien said: "those of you nearest the stage will appreciate that Simon's bottom is already turning bright pink. Remember any Teacher can administer up to six of these to any one of your naughty behinds."

Jeremy, and all the other new boys remained still and silent as Mr O'Brien rummaged in he big black bag again. He brought out another item: A big black leather taws.

"Another instrument at my discretion." remarked Mr O'Brien. "We call it the belt in this school. This is the lighter and hence more gentle of the two I posses. Simon will again demonstrate with two strokes to the bare. Note that the instrument is split into two strands. This is more painful than the one strip would be." And he slammed two blows, hard, horizontally and in quick succession across Simon's bottom.

Simon screamed in agony. Simon had had the belt before, but not on top of the slipper, and certainly not as hard as that before. The shriek cut the watching boys to the quick. No one found it funny.

"Penultimately", said Mr O'Brien "I will demonstrate this little item...the paddle. A curious American idea I believe. However, this one has holes in it, is weighty and deserves respect. Again, Simon will demonstrate." And Mr O'Brien delivered two more strokes with the polished pinewood implement.

There was no doubt to anyone, following these two smacks of wood on flesh that Simon was in deep discomfort. His sobs were loud, and the front row boys could see that he was crying.

"You there!" called Mr O'Brien pointing, "You with the ginger hair. What is your name?"

"Martin, Sir" came the reply.

"Martin, I want you to come up onto the stage and carefully examine Simon's bottom for me."

"Yes Sir." Slowly, and not without fear after what he had just seen, the boy Martin came up to the stage and stood facing the purple-red, up-turned, bare buttocks.

"Are you satisfied, on the basis of what you have seen," said Mr O'Brien to Martin "that Simon has been thoroughly punished?"

"Yes Sir."

"Thank you Martin, return to your place." said Mr O'Brien. "I agree too that Simon, who was in many ways unfortunate to be picked for this demonstration, has had enough on this occasion. Replace your shorts and retire Simon."

Simon stood up and gently, carefully, raised his shorts over his stinging, swollen bottom. Rubbing his eyes with one hand, and his bottom with he other he waddled off stage.

"For my final demonstration this morning, I have chosen a name at random from among you new boys" announced Mr O'Brien. "I feel it is more appropriate to make this final demonstration upon one of you, so that the discomfort will be most apparent to you and word of mouth among your year group will form part of the deterrent."

All the boys, seated cross legged on the floor, squirmed and wiggled in trepidation. What was the next demonstration? Another beating certainly. Who would it be?

"Jeremy Jones. You will come forward and take six of the senior cane, on the bare, on this stage now!"

As an audible sigh of relief passed the lips of all the other boys in the room as Jeremy felt the hand of a teacher lift his to his feet. "But Sir" said Jeremy, loudly to Mr O'Brien as he was lead to the stage "I haven't done any thing!"

"You are in this school." replied Mr O'Brien "You have been badly behaved enough elsewhere for a beating. Any more comments from you and it will be twelve, not six."

Jeremy's punishment was not just a demonstration of the cane. Mr O'Brien illustrated that, when punished wearing school uniform rather than PE kit, the shorts and underpants were to be down around the ankles just so. The shirt was tucked up around the waist, just so. Woe betide a boy with dirty or non-regulation underpants, or filthy socks. Mr O'Brien explained that six was the standard punishment with the cane, but not the maximum. There was no maximum. And he caned to hurt. Jeremy would scream, as would any boy so beaten. That was why he usually punished in a special office.

Even before the thrashing, Jeremy was held down over the chair by another member of staff. "We haven't the time for any delays" Mr O'Brien observed as he brought the cane slashing down onto Jeremy's pale white buttocks for the first time. Jeremy screamed and bucked with the first blow and had not recovered at all before the next stroke fell. Two parallel red wheals emerged followed by a third and fourth and fifth cut in rapid succession. Mr O'Brien paused for a second and then landed the final stroke, harder than any of the others diagonally across poor Jeremy's bottom to form a perfect five barred gate.

Jeremy really did howl at this final, cruelest cut, which drew a little blood. The audience was silent. They had learned as good a lesson as Jeremy.

"You have all seen these demonstrations today. But this is not the only demonstration. Tonight, your first night here, before bed, your house masters will thoroughly slipper each and every one of you, except for Jeremy, who has had his introductory punishment...assuming he behaves himself properly for the rest of the day. Dismissed!"