A recent post discussed the history of Lord Williams’s school. The site also includes an extract from the school rules of 1965; by then, “the cane was rarely used”, replaced instead by the following options:
- Extra duties in School House
- Handwriting tests with the copying of extracts.
- Essay writing - approved titles only
- Reporting at various times in different clothes - smartly
- Gating - boarders only
- Early bed-time and getting-up
- Running
- Cleaning of corridors etc.
- Gardening
- Rolling (the lawn and cricket field)
- Detentions
- Half-Term detention
- End of Term detention
- Send to H.M
- Removal of privileges
- Public works.

I’m guessing that “Send to H.M.” might explain the “rarely” in the phrase “the cane was rarely used.”

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