One in four primary teachers and leaders has had to restrain a pupil in the past half-term, a survey reveals.
More than a quarter of primary teachers and SLT members (27 per cent) reported that they have used a form of restraint on a pupil since the new academic year started in September, according to polling of more than 7,000 teachers by Teacher Tapp for Tes.
This figure is three times higher than the proportion of respondents in secondary school who reported needing to use restraint (9 per cent).
The new data comes as the number of teachers concerned about poor pupil behaviour is on the rise, and amid concerns about how this impacts staff workload and wellbeing.
Restraint is defined by the Department for Education as physically holding back or bringing a pupil under control.
It is typically used in more extreme circumstances, the DfE said, such as when two pupils are fighting and refuse to separate without physical intervention.
Behaviour and the use of restraint
Teachers from both primary and secondary phases are more likely to have restrained a pupil in a school serving a more disadvantaged area (28 per cent), the survey shows.
And those working in more advantaged communities are the least likely to have restrained a pupil (13 per cent).
Responding to the findings, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, said: “There appears to have been a tangible change in pupil behaviour post-Covid, and a significant rise in reported mental health challenges.”
He added that the current guidance on using reasonable force would “benefit from a further review”, especially given the “fresh challenges facing schools post-pandemic”.
A safeguarding lead at a multi-academy trust, who asked to remain anonymous, told Tes: “Without a doubt, the changing landscape linked to children’s emotions and behaviour has led to an increase in requirements to respond at the top end of the behavioural spectrum.”
DfE ‘looking at updates to guidance for schools’
The Use of reasonable force guidance, which covers how and when teachers and staff should use restraint, physical intervention and restrictive practices, has not been updated since it was first published in 2013.
Although the government has since carried out a public consultation, and has published findings on the use of reasonable force in alternative provision and special schools, the findings for mainstream schools are yet to be published.
A Department for Education spokesperson said that “we recognise that the use of reasonable force and restrictive interventions can have a significant and long-lasting effect on the pupils, staff members and parents involved”.
“That’s why we are committed to minimising its use in all schools in England, and we are currently looking at what updates should be made to the guidance for schools to help achieve this.”
Tes understands that the guidance will focus on supporting leaders to create environments which minimise the use of reasonable force and restrictive interventions, and include how school staff can use their powers to use reasonable force and restrictive interventions safely, appropriately and within the law.
Teachers lack training in restraint
Teacher Tapp also asked teachers if they have been trained in how to restrain a student.
Most respondents said they have received no training on restraint (54 per cent), and a quarter said they have not had any training in the past two years.
Secondary teachers are more likely to report that they have not had training - 70 per cent compared with 38 per cent of primary school respondents.
There is no centralised training on how to use reasonable force. Instead, the government has said that schools should take their own decisions about staff training.
The anonymous safeguarding lead told Tes that the guidance on reasonable force should include more detail around staff safety. “This would, without doubt, improve the way in which school staff utilise and respond to the guidance,” they said.
Training in restraint a ‘grey area’
They added that training is a “grey area” because there is not a “clear and consistently used approach” and standardised provider. Having both would “give the sector clarity and guidance around this area”, the safeguarding lead said.
“It would also be helpful to join up the Keeping Children Safe In Education guidance [statutory safeguarding guidance for schools] and the reasonable force guidance,” they said.
Another safeguarding lead, at a mixed-phase multi-academy trust, who also asked to remain anonymous, said that training staff in restraint practices could potentially lead to them using it more willingly.
“What I noticed, in my previous roles working in both schools and local authorities, was that when staff were trained in restraint, restraints increased,” the lead said.
They explained that this was because staff were using restraint in situations that did not necessarily require restraint to be used, such as damage to property.
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