What the 2010 DCSF use of force guidance said — advice for schools

The 2010 DCSF guidance, The use of force to control or restrain pupils: Guidance for schools in England, was a detailed predecessor to later Department for Education advice on reasonable force. It is now historical, and schools should check the current GOV.UK guidance on reasonable force before relying on it operationally. However, it remains useful because it explains the practical foundations of safe and defensible use of force in schools: lawful authority, prevention, proportionality, risk assessment, staff training, recording, reporting and post-incident support.

The legal power under section 93

The guidance begins with a clear statement of the law as it stood under section 93 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006. School staff have a legal power to use reasonable force to prevent pupils committing a criminal offence, injuring themselves or others, damaging property, or prejudicing good order and discipline. The power applies when pupils are on school premises or when they are under the lawful control or charge of staff elsewhere, such as on a school visit.

Reassurance for staff, protection for pupils

The document emphasises that staff sometimes fear complaints or allegations after using force. It seeks to reassure staff that where force is reasonable, they have a robust defence against allegations of unlawful conduct. But this reassurance is balanced with a strong safeguarding message: force should only be used as a last resort, and the purpose of guidance is also to protect pupils by reducing the risk of inappropriate use.

Reasonableness is the central test

The central legal concept is reasonableness. There is no precise statutory definition of reasonable force. Whether force is reasonable depends on the circumstances. The test is whether the force used is proportionate to the consequences it is intended to prevent. In practical terms, staff should use the minimum force needed to achieve the desired result. Force cannot be justified for trivial misbehaviour. The more serious the risk, the more likely some physical intervention may be justified. The lower the chance of success using non-physical approaches, the more likely force may be justified. But the judgement must always consider the individual pupil and the context.

Control versus restraint

The guidance distinguishes between using force to control and to restrain. Control may involve passive physical contact, such as standing between pupils, or active contact, such as leading a pupil by the hand or arm. Restraint means physically preventing a pupil from continuing what they were doing after being told to stop, usually in more serious circumstances such as fights or violent behaviour. This distinction helps schools avoid treating all touch as restraint while also recognising that some physical contact has a restrictive purpose and needs safeguards.

An explicit policy inside the behaviour policy

A major part of the guidance is about effective practice. Schools are advised to include an explicit policy on use of force within their wider behaviour policy. The policy should be communicated to staff, pupils and parents and should be consistent with safeguarding and health and safety policies. It should describe the approaches to be used before force, the circumstances in which restraint may be reasonable, the circumstances in which force may be used to require compliance with a reasonable instruction, how risk is assessed, how incidents are recorded, and how staff and pupils are supported afterwards.

No “no contact” policies

The guidance is explicit that schools should not adopt “no contact” policies. Such policies may prevent staff from acting where a pupil is at risk of harm, and they may place staff in conflict with their duty of care. This remains an important point. Good practice is not about avoiding all physical contact; it is about ensuring physical contact is lawful, necessary, proportionate, professional and properly understood.

Positive handling plans for pupils with SEND

For pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, the guidance contains particularly important advice. Schools should involve staff responsible for SEND support and pupils’ parents in developing policy and practice. For pupils assessed as being at greatest risk of needing restrictive physical intervention, schools should develop positive handling plans. These plans should identify situations that may provoke difficult behaviour, preventive strategies, de-escalation approaches likely to work, triggers for violent reactions, agreed physical strategies if intervention becomes necessary, and ways to support the pupil and staff after an incident.

Know the pupil; share what staff need

This is one of the guidance’s strongest messages: the use of force with pupils with SEND should be informed by individual knowledge. Staff should know whether a pupil has communication impairments, sensory needs, physical disability, medical fragility, trauma history or equipment dependence. Information from parents may be vital. Schools should have systems for sharing relevant information with staff who need it while respecting confidentiality and data protection.

Prevention comes first

Prevention is central. Schools should reduce the likelihood of force being required by creating a calm, orderly and supportive climate; developing positive relationships; teaching social and emotional skills; training staff in behaviour management and conflict management; recognising foreseeable triggers; and managing incidents calmly. The guidance recommends calm verbal communication, non-threatening body language, offering ways out of a situation, using quiet spaces appropriately, involving familiar staff where helpful, and warning pupils where practicable before force is used.

Risk assessment: whole-school and individual

Risk assessment is treated as both whole-school and individual. Leaders should consider the frequency and severity of incidents requiring force and use historical patterns to inform staff training and planning. Individual risk assessments are needed where force is more likely, especially for pupils whose SEND or disabilities are associated with extreme behaviour, communication impairment, sensory impairment, medical fragility or equipment dependence.

Using force well — and what is unacceptable

The guidance also gives practical advice on using force. Staff should communicate calmly, make clear that the behaviour must change, avoid acting out of anger or frustration, and make clear that physical intervention is intended only as a last resort to keep people safe. The force used must be proportionate and reduced at the earliest possible time. Staff should avoid actions likely to cause injury, though extreme emergencies may require urgent intervention. The guidance identifies unacceptable-risk techniques such as the seated double embrace, double basket-hold and nose distraction technique.

Recording and reporting significant incidents

The 2010 document was especially detailed on recording and reporting significant incidents. It stated that governing bodies must ensure procedures are in place for recording each significant incident where force is used and reporting it to parents as soon as practicable. Records should capture the pupil’s details, vulnerabilities, date, time, location, staff involved, attempts to de-escalate, warnings given, reason for force, description of force used, injuries, follow-up, information shared and parental communication.

Post-incident support

Post-incident support is also important. Pupils and staff may need first aid, medical attention, emotional support and opportunities to reflect. Schools should use incidents to rebuild relationships, repair harm, update plans and prevent recurrence. Parents should be involved in agreeing support arrangements where appropriate.

What it means for schools today

For schools today, the 2010 guidance is best read as a historical bridge between older restrictive physical intervention guidance and modern restraint-reduction expectations. Its principles remain familiar: policy, prevention, reasonable force, individual risk assessment, SEND-sensitive planning, recording, reporting and review. But because later guidance has superseded it, schools should always work from the current DfE position — including the replacement guidance effective from April 2026 — rather than from the 2010 document itself.

Practical advice for schools

Treat the 2010 document as historical guidance, not the current operational standard.
Retain its core principles: prevention, proportionality, minimum force and review.
Include use-of-force arrangements within the behaviour policy.
Develop positive handling plans for pupils with foreseeable risk.
Share relevant pupil-specific information with staff who need it.
Record and review significant incidents in enough detail to learn from them.
Report serious incidents to parents, subject to safeguarding considerations.
Provide post-incident support and update plans after any use of force.
Cross-check current GOV.UK guidance, especially the replacement guidance effective from April 2026.

The source document

This explainer summarises the 2010 DCSF publication, The use of force to control or restrain pupils: Guidance for schools in England. The original publication page is no longer live on GOV.UK, and the 2010 content is superseded by the DfE page Use of reasonable force in schools — schools should rely on that current guidance, not the 2010 document.

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use of force to control or restrain pupils: Call to action

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