Chapter 2

The time to start a new position came quickly.

“Mr Small, welcome, welcome. So pleased you could join us. Please do sit down. I will ask Miss Haberstock to take you to the Accounts Office for your rail warrant after we spend a little time going through the county school system and what we would like you to concentrate your efforts upon.

Not, you understand, that we wish you to ignore our boys’ secondary schools, but your predecessor spent most of his time working with them. Yes, ahem, I am sure they would welcome the opportunity to put all his suggestions into practice and have a period of retrenchment” he meant ‘give them a rest from constant interference’ “but we must not ignore them completely.

As we mentioned in your interview, we have opened several schools for girls in the county in the last two years. Not one has been visited since they opened, which may seem somewhat remiss; I think Mr Jackson was giving them time to embed themselves before inspecting.” Actually he simply felt that girls’ schools weren’t worth inspecting given his views on what females were for. “But now we must offer them more support to ensure the young ladies receive the best education we can provide.

That then must be your first priority.

We have regularised and standardised our primary school system. Until recently some were charitable institutions, some were church schools, some were financed by the town and a few by the county. We have brought them all into the realm of our own education service, the better to ensure the quality of training offered to all our children. We shall need you to perform many visits I think; mostly these may be short, perhaps two in one day. Again, we are looking to encourage good behaviour and discourage poor.

That should be your second priority.

Lastly when the legislation was enacted, we took it upon ourselves to include a responsibility to check the quality of fee-paying schools. Personally I am a product of one of the funded Grammar schools, as are you? Ah yes, a scholarship boarder at a mixed private and state grammar. I am aware that these private schools often provide very good education to those that can pay. Some though, I have heard, are little more than prisons for the children. I would hate to think we had such establishments in our county! We have little direct control on them, but we can produce reports of their standards and offer our support in improving them if that is required.

That is your third priority.

Having said all this, you are largely left to your own methods of working. The county is a large one and you may find there are occasions when an overnight stay is required, or simply desirable. There are funds available for reasonable such expenses.

We will expect reports, of course. Especially at the start, to make sure you are settling in; and an annual report on the overall state of eduction in the county.”

“Doctor Waite, can I say how excited I am to start this post. It seems the county is truly dedicated to improving the education of all, from the richest to the poorest. I cannot wait to become part of that team”

“I am delighted to hear it, let me show you our map” Here he took Jack to the far wall of his office. A map was displayed with pins in 4 different colours representing the location of the schools, red for primary, black for private, blue for boys and green for girls.

“Will I be able to acquire a similar map myself? I could then add paper ribbons to indicate when the last visit took place, or when it was planned. It would mean much information was available at a single view”

“Excellent! You see? I knew you would bring innovations”

The self-congratulatory and somewhat self-satisfied conversations continued until it was time to go to the accounts office for his rail warrant.

“Oh, one thing I should mention. It may be that sometimes one or other member of the committee may wish to visit a school with you. Not to interfere you understand but because we take an interest. Would you have any difficulties with that?”

“Not at all, I would only suggest that such arrangements are made well in advance so the school knows who and what to expect”

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“This is Mrs Dolmaine and Mr Small. They are our guests for the morning and I trust we will all be polite”

With that briefest of introductions, the two adults sat at the back and observed the lessons at the village school. The school had two classes, one for older children – 8 to 11, or at least those that could read and write – and one for the younger ones. Miss Marchant was 67 and looked older, she took the younger class and it had been suggested that she may not in fact be able to see the books herself anymore but was relying on memory; Miss Havers took the older pupils.

Miss Havers was younger, perhaps 25, certainly not older than 27 Jack thought. Pretty, with ringlets and a tight high-necked dress. She had a shapely figure and bright, intelligent face. Jack found he had to stop himself from imagining kissing her rosy red lips. That was simply inappropriate thoughts concerning a fellow professional, he thought; then he wondered how much her bust was real and how much manufactured by the bone foundation garments.

At the end of the first period the children normally went out to play. Miss Havers told everybody to stay seated.

“I have had reports that some children were observed behaving shamelessly in Berwick’s wood. I will give the children concerned one opportunity to be responsible and own up...”

Jack wondered what these young children could possibly have done that was so shameless. The oldest was eleven, if only children from this class were involved then surely it could not be anything too dreadful. Nobody moved.

“ ... I see, well in that case. Aiden, Christabelle and Mary, come to the front please. NOW!”

Three children walked slowly to their doom. Had the adults been at the front they would have instantly identified the guilty parties for they had gone pale at the first comment, then hoped against hope that they were not known.

“These three have brought shame to our little school. I will not foul your young ears by explaining what their crimes were. But now you have been called out, I presume you confess?” All three nodded “Pardon?”

“Yes Miss”

“Thank you. As you all know. I will not allow this school to obtain a poor reputation, neither for scholarship nor behaviour. I promised the lady who informed me that I would severely punish those miscreants, AND I SHALL! The lady has agreed not to spread the knowledge abroad, for which the school and you three should be very grateful.

Now, bend over if you will”

All three stood behind the teacher’s desk and bent over onto it. As Miss Havers went to the corner to collect the cane, she said “Prepare yourselves, you are wasting your friends’ playtime” Reluctantly, slowly, the boy undid his trousers and allowed trousers and underpants to drop to half-mast. At the same time the two girls hoisted up their skirts at the back and then pulled down their knickers. All three had exposed their bottoms and awaited their fate.

Jack was conflicted, he had decided he should never interfere with a lesson, an approach approved by the board and separately that day by Mrs Dolmaine; but was there a limit? He looked at Mrs Dolmaine, but she appeared equally as confused. The cane came down on a bare bottom with a thwack. Then on the next one, and then on the third. Part of him was pleased to see girls being treated equally to boys, and, ‘God help me’ he thought, part of him was a little excited at the thought of watching eleven year old girls having their bare behinds caned. Each child received three strokes. Then it was as if there had never been any problem, the children were sent out to play; the three caned children moved a little slower perhaps.

“May one ask what the crime was?” Asked Mrs Dolmaine, just pipping Jack to the same question.

“They were seen in the woods ... showing each other their private parts ... and touching them” So, because they exposed themselves to each other, they were punished by being made to ... expose themselves to the teacher? This seemed a little perverse. He would have to add something to his report Jack thought.

“Might the children not complain to their parents?” he naively asked.

“Hardly, if they did so the boy at least, and I suspect the girls as well, would be subject to another thrashing at home. Probably a worse one too!”

Once the children had left to play, the two visitors took the opportunity to discuss their questions with Miss Havers. “I do understand your reservations, but I feel that the short sharp shock is reinforced by the more public nature of the punishment. The pain, the physical pain, is quickly dissipated, but the shame and public disgrace often acts as a far more effective long term reminder. It is not the punishment itself, you see, that I am interested in. Well, it is; punishment is important; but I wish to be sure that behaviour is modified as well”

“And that is why you choose to spank them, bare bottomed, beside each other? I see.”

They then bade the teacher goodbye and left to make their way to the railway station, but at the door Mrs Dolmaine realised she had left her umbrella in the classroom and hurried back for it. At the door to the classroom, through the glass, she observed Miss Havers.

“Mr Small! I do not know what to say. Oh dear!”

“Whatever is the matter Mrs Dolmaine?”

“I went back to the classroom, but before entering, I looked through the window in the door and; well, I saw the Miss Havers having a drink from a flask”

“Tea perhaps?”

“No, no, from the type of flask hunting men carry. A hip flask I believe it is called”

“Oh my Lord! Oh, pardon my language. She seemed generally very efficient as a teacher, but we will have to dismiss her. Yet, perhaps we must check to be sure? It would be a travesty to destroy her career if there is some kind of misunderstanding”

“How can we burst in now?”

“Let us observe Miss Marchant’s class. I am sure she will not mind” And in fact she did not. She was a pleasant enough person, she did not stretch the children, but she did make them feel comfortable in the classroom environment by kindness rather than making them fear school. At the end of the school day they waited for all the children and Miss Marchant to leave, then they went to discuss the situation with Miss Havers.