Restraint continues to cause harm in UK schools

Today, the BBC published a story detailing appalling experiences of a young Scottish woman attending a special school in the south of England. Leah’s descriptions of her experience of restraint at school and the trauma this caused to her are deeply upsetting.

The BBC story exposes a range of failings in current school provision for young autistic people and young people with learning disabilities – among them a lack of statutory guidance on use of restraint in schools – ultimately leaving children and young people vulnerable to poor practice and most worryingly, the overuse and abuse of restraint.

The issues impacting on young autistic people and young people with learning disabilities exist across the UK nations. In 2021, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) reported on the need for mandatory monitoring of restraint in schools, national training standards and national definitions. While UK governments have recently consulted on and reviewed the use of restrictive practices in schools, updated statutory guidance that is fit for purpose, supporting teachers in their role and protecting children from unacceptable practices, remains greatly overdue.

Ben Higgins, CEO of RRN and Bild said:

“Leah’s experiences at school were unacceptable. No child should be at risk of physical or emotional harm at school. Children should be safe and supported to thrive, and yet our current system continues to fail and traumatise too many young autistic people and people with learning disabilities. 

There continues to be an urgent need for updated, fit for purpose statutory guidance on the restrictive practices within schools. We cannot continue to have their use unregulated within schools. The new Labour administration has an opportunity to develop statutory guidance that protect children from unacceptable use of force and inappropriate use of restrictive practices.

It is essential that the new Westminster Government address this promptly, taking steps to improve accountability through mandatory monitoring and reporting, ensuring appropriate regulated training and supporting schools to better meet the needs of young people in their care.”