What the 2010 DCSF use of force guidance said — advice for schools
A summary of the 2010 DCSF guidance on reasonable force, now historical but still the clearest account of the legal power, reasonableness, the case against no contact policies and post-incident support.
What the 2002 restrictive physical interventions guidance said — advice for schools
An explainer on the 2002 guidance for health, education and social care settings. Restrictive intervention should be exceptional, planned where foreseeable, proportionate, recorded and reviewed, and not all physical contact is restraint.
What the EHRC restraint in schools inquiry said — advice for schools
The EHRC inquiry asked whether schools know enough about their own use of restraint. Reading it through human rights and equality law, the post argues weak systems, not teachers, are the problem.
What the Ofsted positive environments guidance said — advice for schools
Ofsted’s guidance starts from the child’s rights and experience and says compliance is not enough. It rejects no touch policies and routine restraint, and asks leaders to show how they reduce restrictive practice.
What the 2019 restraint reduction guidance said — advice for schools
The 2019 guidance aimed to make restraint less likely, less frequent and less harmful, starting from children’s rights, treating behaviour as communication and asking schools for positive support, recording and post-incident debrief.
What the DfE reasonable force guidance said — advice for schools
All school staff, and adults temporarily in charge such as volunteers, have a legal power to use reasonable force, though never as punishment. The post explains the reasonable in the circumstances test.
DfE Guidance on Restrictive Interventions — What the 2026 Updates Mean | Positive Handling
How the 2026 DfE guidance lands in practice, beginning with a comparison against current policy, training records, risk assessments and reporting, and asking whether a school could prove necessity and proportionality.