An inclusion base should be an intervention, not a destination
An inclusion base should be an intervention, not a destination Movement towards greater participation in mainstream classes where appropriate The DfE’s new guidance on inclusion bases is best understood as part of a wider policy move: mainstream schools are being asked to become more capable of meeting complex SEND, behavioural, pastoral and attendance needs without […]
Schools being too strict?
Schools being too strict? This piece was prompted by the BBC’s report on a pupil who spent more than half a school year in an isolation booth (BBC News). Strictness without dignity is not discipline I was asked this week to look at the BBC’s report on a pupil who spent more than half a […]
What UAE schools told us after a week of Positive Handling training
What UAE schools told us after a week of Positive Handling training Last week, Gerard O’Dea delivered a series of Positive Handling and crisis response training sessions for UAE schools, including Safa Community School, Safa British School, Aspen Heights British School, DESS, Emirates International School and Al Salam Private School. Across many feedback submissions, the […]
Disproportionality in restrictive interventions: what schools should look for in the data
Disproportionality in restrictive interventions: what schools should look for in the data The 2026 DfE guidance expects governing bodies and proprietors to analyse intervention data, including monitoring disproportionality across vulnerable groups. That is a significant instruction. It means schools should not only ask, “Were incidents recorded?” They should also ask, “Who is experiencing restrictive interventions, […]
Searching for prohibited items: where reasonable force fits and where it does not
Searching for prohibited items: where reasonable force fits and where it does not The 2026 DfE guidance notes that force may be used by authorised staff to search for legally prohibited items, not merely items banned by school rules. That distinction matters. Schools manage many banned items: phones, vapes, energy drinks, uniform items, toys, and […]
Staff wellbeing after restrictive interventions: the missing safety control
Staff wellbeing after restrictive interventions: the missing safety control When a restrictive intervention happens in school, leaders rightly focus on the pupil: safety, injury checks, parent communication, behaviour support plans and safeguarding review. But the 2026 DfE guidance also points to wellbeing support for those affected. That includes staff. Staff wellbeing after an incident is […]
MAT-wide consistency: why trusts need one standard for restrictive interventions
MAT-wide consistency: why trusts need one standard for restrictive interventions For multi-academy trusts, the 2026 DfE guidance raises an important question: how consistent is practice across your schools? A trust may have one school recording every significant use of force carefully, another using a different form, another describing seclusion as “time out”, and another relying […]
Behaviour support plans after restraint: the review schools cannot skip
Behaviour support plans after restraint: the review schools cannot skip The 2026 DfE guidance is clear that schools should review behaviour support plans after incidents, especially where pupils have SEND, known vulnerabilities or repeated patterns of escalation. That review is not a courtesy. It is part of prevention. If the plan does not change after […]
Serious disorder, property damage and injury: understanding the thresholds for force
Serious disorder, property damage and injury: understanding the thresholds for force The 2026 DfE guidance reminds schools that reasonable force may be used in specific circumstances: to prevent injury to any person, prevent a criminal offence, prevent damage to property, or prevent serious disorder. Those words matter. They are thresholds, not vague permissions. Force is […]
Post-incident debrief: where safer practice is built
Post-incident debrief: where safer practice is built The 202: Post-incident debrief: where safer practice is built The 2026 DfE guidance expects schools to take post-incident action: medical checks where needed, debriefing with staff and pupils, analysis to prevent recurrence and wellbeing support for those affected. This is not an afterthought. The debrief is where the […]