When I was at School in Scotland, in the 60's, there was a thing called the tawse.
The rules around it's use were clear and precise... but as in all such situations there were a few sadists and perverts who abused them. Fortunately, few and far between.
In essence:-
Only to be used on the open palm - no backsides, except by the headmaster in extreme circumstances, and never on naked buttocks,
No more than three strokes,
Nowhere except in front of the class,
Any escalation requires parental involvement and consent.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tawse