SEND, reasonable adjustments and positive handling: prevention before crisis
Drawing on 2026 DfE guidance and the SCARF model, the post argues that for pupils with SEND, prevention is the most important form of positive handling, and sets out a six-part planning approach.
Recording reasonable force: what good incident notes need to prove
A good record shows the decision-making, not just that force happened. It should cover context, risk, alternatives tried, what staff did, welfare, aftercare and learning, in observable detail rather than labels.
Necessary, proportionate, shortest time: the decision test school staff need to practise
Reasonable force must be necessary, proportionate and brief, and the post turns that phrase into four questions staff can rehearse, drawing on Gary Klein’s work on decisions made under pressure.
Positive Behaviour Management from Dynamis to Reduce Restraints
Support for behaviour we find challenging starts with understanding the person and the environment they live in, then pairs reactive responses with proactive strategies aimed at reducing restraint over time.
De-Escalation and Physical Intervention in a Secondary or Sixth-Form College
For secondary and sixth-form staff, deciding to intervene physically may be the most critical moment of a career. The post sets out the risks and why the training suits that setting.
Feedback from Secondary Senior Leadership Team SLT
Quotes from a senior leadership team at a large Kent secondary school, after a whole-staff de-escalation workshop and a follow-up session on higher-risk scenarios, covering legislation, practicality and tailoring to their context.
Is it okay to lift and carry a child during positive handling interventions?
Asked whether a restrained child may be lifted and carried elsewhere, the post sets out risks of injury to staff and child, plus the risk assessments, medical review and trained staff required first.
Engaging successfully with Concerned Parents
Morning separations and other difficult conversations go better with planning and careful communication, argues Gerard O’Dea, who introduces a course built on the Verbal Defense and Influence method.
Teachers headbutted and bitten by children as young as five.
A brief post noting reports of teachers being headbutted and bitten by children as young as five, with links to related reading on classroom communication, attacks on staff and five steps to persuasion.
Duty of Care and stopping fights in Positive Handling
Schools often ask whether safe, risk-free ways exist to stop fights between children. A video tells how one teacher improvised urgently in her classroom, illustrating duty of care in physical interventions.