Reasonable Force, Restraint & Restrictive Practices in Alternative Provision and Special Schools. Research Report

The Department for Education (DfE) is committed to minimising the use of reasonable force, including physical restraint and other restrictive practices in all schools in England, including special schools and alternative provision. This work programme will include updating the 'Use of reasonable force' guidance (2013) to provide school staff with advice on how to minimise the use of physical restraint and, in instances where it is absolutely necessary and lawful to use reasonable force or restrictive practices, to do so as safely as possible. The DfE commissioned Revealing Reality to carry out research to understand how special and alternative provision schools in England currently use reasonable force, including physical restraint and other restrictive practices, and to learn what these schools believe works to effectively minimise the need to use such methods. The research was qualitative, with findings drawn from analysis of interviews with school leaders and staff from a total of 45 special and alternative provision schools, plus additional evidence gathered from site visits to four of these schools.