A SCHOOL has lost its fight to be allowed to smack its pupils.
Cornerstone School, in West Hill, Epsom, which has 45 pupils, and three other private Christian schools from around the country, took their case to the Law Lords.
They argued the ban infringed their religious freedom.
Philip Williamson, the Liverpool headteacher leading the action, said: "There is a punitive part to corporal punishment. Everyone has to learn there are consequences for breaking moral codes.
But the Law Lords ruled on Thursday that over-turning the ban would not be in children's best interests.
Corporal punishment in all schools, including private ones, was made illegal in 1996.
No one at Cornerstone School was available for comment.