 Meanwhile, Danny has started a new term at school, with a new schoolmaster, Captain Lancaster (Ronald Pickup), a strict disciplinarian who practices corporal punishment and detests lateness and cheating.He has already given Danny 1,000 lines as punishment for being late for school twice.When the headmaster, Mr. Snoddy (Lionel Jeffries), who is secretly rather fond of gin even during school hours, catches him caning Danny after another student whispered to him during class, he gives Lancaster a severe reprimand and tells him he will personally see that he is "out on his ear" if there is ever a repetition of his action; as he had made it clear to him on his appointment that corporal punishment was not permitted in the school.