BEXHILL SCHOOL

The problem is that reports carrying the dreaded letter 'F' (for 'Failed') just don't go away, no matter how contritely presented.

Sandra was intelligent but she was also lazy and easily distracted, especially by boys. She hadn't expected an 'F'; she'd hoped she'd get away with a 'D', and even that would have been bad enough.

Her hand was trembling as she handed over the report to her father. He looked at it, his face darkening. "I'll deal with this when I get home tonight. Meanwhile, you're grounded. Now take it to your mother."

Sandra's mother was not in a hurry to go anywhere. She took the report, read it carefully, frowned, and read it again.

"Right," she said, pulling out a chair and sitting down, "you know what this means, so let's get started. Take your knickers off and over my knees with you."

Sandra bit her lip but did as she was told. She'd been in this position many times before and she knew her mother's ability to keep spanking long after her hand should have been almost as sore as Sandra's bottom. On this occasion her mother spanked her without a pause for almost ten minutes before letting her daughter get up. Sandra scrabbled to her feet, clutching at her blazing backside and hoping that her mother's punishment was over.

It wasn't.

"Wait here, I'll be back," her mother said gruffly, reappearing a few moments later wielding a heavy hairbrush.

"All right, get back in position." For another ten minutes the hairbrush smacked firmly against one quivering cheek after the other. Finally, her mother seemed to run out of steam.

"Go to your room and stay there until your father gets home," adding ominously  "I'm going to put the cane in to soak."

Sandra lay on her bed all day, dreading what was coming when her father got home. From time to time, she massaged her stinging bottom. At last, hours later, she heard her father's voice and the dreaded command: "Sandra, come down here..."