Physical Intervention in Schools – One Year Review of Guidance

School staff

This section summarises feedback received from teachers and school staff. A total of 22 school staff responded to this survey. The feedback was sought in order to gather school staff perceptions of the implementation of the guidance. We do not know the locations of these staff - which may represent the views of staff working in local authority, independent or grant-aided schools - and their views were expressed as their own and not representative of a wider school. As such, it is not possible to know whether this data represents feedback from 22 different schools or multiple returns from a smaller number of schools.

It should be noted that in 2025 there were 52,779 teachers in local authorities and 17,046 support staff in local authorities in 2024. Therefore, the very small size of this sample should be taken into account when reading the below feedback.

Local Policies and Alignment with National Guidance

Most respondents (68%) reported that their school or local authority has a policy on the use of physical intervention, although 18% were unsure and 14% said no policy was in place. Of those aware of a policy, 73% reported that it had been updated to reflect the national guidance published in November 2024, and a further 20% said that updates were currently in progress.

Changes in Practice Since November 2024

School staff were asked to reflect on observable changes in practice since the national guidance came into effect. The majority (50%) reported no change, while 41% observed significant or some improvement. A small number (9%) believed that practice had worsened.

The guidance’s impact on raising awareness of restraint and seclusion varied. While 50% felt the guidance was neither supportive nor unhelpful, 41% found it somewhat supportive and 9% very supportive. No respondent thought it was unhelpful.

Perceptions of its effectiveness were also mixed. Although 36% saw the guidance as somewhat effective in reducing restraint and seclusion, 59% felt it had made no clear difference.

What school staff Found Helpful

School staff were invited to identify the aspects of the guidance they found most helpful. The areas highlighted most frequently were:

• definitions (50%),
• prevention advice (27%),
• Post incident reporting (18%),
• safeguards (18%), and
• recording, reporting and monitoring guidance (23%).

When asked what could be strengthened, teachers most commonly identified training advice (45%), prevention advice (32%), and post incident reporting (27%) from the options provided. Over one-third (36%) identified other areas requiring attention.

Impact on Staff and Learners

Responses indicated that school staff respondents think the changes in national guidance have had limited impact on the learning and working environment. Most teachers (73%) reported no impact on the learning environment, while 18% saw positive impact and 9% identified a negative impact.

Workload concerns were more pronounced. While 59% saw no impact on workload, 41% reported a negative impact associated with implementing the guidance. None reported a positive impact on workload.

Observed Practice Changes

Just under one third of school staff respondents (32%) had observed changes in practice since the publication of the guidance, while 55% had not, and 14% didn’t know.

Among those who had observed changes:

• all but one saw improved awareness of restraint,
• 71% observed increased use of de-escalation, and
• 57% noted improved recording,

Data Recording and Monitoring

School staff responding to the survey reported limited awareness or use of the standard dataset included in the 2024 guidance. Only 2 respondents stated that it was being used, while 23% said it was not and 68% did not know.

Parental Notification

Half of school staff responding to the survey (50%) reported that parents, carers and social work were notified of incidents in line with the national guidance 100% of the time, and 9% felt this happened more than 75% of the time. Around one third (32%) did not know how frequently parental notification occurred.

Post Incident Support and Learning

Post incident procedures vary. Around 68% of teachers said that post incident support is provided to both children and staff, while 27% and 18%, respectively, were unsure. A small number reported that support was not provided.

Post incident learning was less consistently reported. For children and young people, 55% said it took place, while 23% said it did not and 23% were unsure. Among staff, 68% reported that learning was carried out, and 18% said it was not.

Timeframes for support and learning were generally prompt. For children and young people, 55% reported that support occurred within one week. For staff, this rose to 68%.

Staff Training

Training uptake varied significantly across settings. Only 36% of school staff responding to the survey reported that training had taken place to support implementation of the guidance, while 64% said it had not.

Of those whose schools had delivered training:

• 88% had received de-escalation training,
• 63% restraint training,
• 50% ASN related training, and
• 50% recording training.

Availability of training was inconsistent. While 45% said training was available to all staff, 27% said it was not, and 27% were unsure.

Only 36% of school staff responding to the survey said their school received restraint training, while 59% said it did not.

Professional Learning Needs

There was strong recognition of the need for further professional development. Around 86% of teachers said more training is required. The priority areas identified were:

• De-escalation (74%),
• ASN related training (74%),
• restraint training (68%),
• recording and monitoring (63%).

When asked ‘At what level is this professional learning required?’, all but one respondent (95%) believed that this learning should be provided to all staff.