Smacking children has recently been made illegal in Wales. I'm very pleased to hear this, although it might take a generation for the culture to catch up with the legislation.

I've never been a fan of corporal punishment. It is such a blunt tool to change attitudes, and if it does, it does so by fear rather than understanding.

When I was first appointed as a teacher in my first school I was approached by an old teacher who said, ' Rugby player are you... excellent you'll be able to wield a cane particularly purposefully then!'

My desire to conform to the culture of my new school and keep my head down was immediately challenged and I was surprised to hear myself say with some determination, 'I do not endorse corporal punishment, I do not condone corporal punishment and I certainly won't be part of administering it in this or any other school.'

It was probably the most concise statement of my values I have ever uttered.

One thing that has always struck me when seeing parents hitting their children is that the smacking was prompted less by the child's misdemeanours and more by the parent's emotional state. I think that smacking your own children shows emotional instability and an inability to reason... neither of which are good lessons for children to witness.

How hard a smacking is 'reasonable', and how often before it becomes abuse or physical assault?

We never smacked our children, I'm pleased to say, and I'm sure it contributed to them being affectionate and empathetic adults who abhor violence.

The Welsh legislation and the wider debate is discussed in this article for the BBC by Cemlyn Davies: Smacking in Wales becomes illegal | BBC News