SCHOOLS

VICTORIAN SCHOOL PUNISHMENTS

There were many punishments in Victorian schools, most of them were very harsh and teachers often didn’t ask for an explanation but just punished the nearest person. Punishments included:

The strap

You had to kneel on the rough wooden floorboards with your back very straight and your hands on the back of your neck for about twenty minutes. If you fell over the teacher would hit you on the head and tell you to sit upright.

The punishment book

If you were punished, then you name went into the book. When it came to you leaving school to find a job, the headmaster would look in the book to see how many times you had been punished and it was put in your reference.

The cane

Many teachers chose really thin canes as these were the ones that hurt most. Sometimes canes broke because you were hit so hard. Most people were either hit across the hand or bottom.

Other punishments…

The log

A large piece of wood was tied around your shoulders and you had to carry this around all day. It was a punishment for talking.

The cage

If you had done something really wrong you were put in a basket which was hung from the ceiling and pulled up so that you were hanging above the classroom!

Would you like to go to a Victorian school?