Key facts
- Children subjected to physical punishment are more likely to achieve poorer educational outcomes, including lower GCSE grades.
- A UCL study found that children who experienced physical punishment at ages three, five, and seven were more likely to fail to achieve five GCSE passes.
- UK children who experienced any physical punishment between the ages of three and seven were around 35% more likely to have hit, pushed, or shoved someone by age 14.
- Wales outlawed all forms of corporal punishment in March 2022, and Scotland introduced a similar ban in November 2020.
- England and Northern Ireland retain a 'reasonable punishment' defence.
New analysis by University College London (UCL), supported by the children's charity NSPCC, suggests a link between physical punishment of children and poorer academic outcomes and behavioral problems.
The study found that children in England who experienced physical punishment at ages three, five, and seven were significantly more likely (48%) to fail to achieve five GCSE passes, including English and maths, compared to those who did not experience such treatment (42.3%). Researchers based their analysis on data from the UCL-led Millennium Cohort Study and the National Pupil Database.
Furthermore, the findings indicated that UK children who had experienced any physical punishment between the ages of three and seven were around 35% more likely to have hit, pushed, or shoved someone by age 14. Researchers stated that physical punishment is the most common and socially accepted form of violence against children in the UK and has no benefits.
Researchers have criticized the failure to outlaw smacking in England and Northern Ireland as a 'huge missed opportunity and deeply disappointing.' Wales outlawed all forms of corporal punishment in March 2022, and Scotland introduced a similar ban in November 2020. However, England and Northern Ireland retain a 'reasonable punishment' defence, judged on a case-by-case basis under existing legislation.
Some experts, like Professor Ellie Lee, acknowledge the plausibility of the findings but caution against seeking single causes for complex child development issues. She emphasized the importance of boundaries backed by consequences for children to understand societal rules.