Moorland Primary
School
Use of Reasonable
Force to Control or
Restrain Pupils Policy
March 2017
Introduction
Moorland Primary School is a multicultural school, based in Splott close to
the centre of Cardiff. We admit children from the age of 3 – 11, from a
variety of social, cultural and religious backgrounds. We aim to provide a
broad and balanced curriculum tailored to individual pupil needs, which will
enable all children to achieve their maximum potential. We also strive to
ensure that all pupils develop an enthusiasm for and a love of learning.
The key objective of this policy is to maintain the safety of all pupils and
staff in Moorland. Whilst we recognise physical restraint as a last resort
when other strategies have failed, there are situations which occasionally
arise which necessitate the use of reasonable force in order to secure the
safety of staff and pupils in our school.
Equal Opportunities and Race Equality
The school is committed to working towards equality, promoting positive
approaches to difference, and fostering respect for people of all cultural
and social backgrounds whatever their age, race, sexual orientation, faith,
ethnicity, gender, appearance, language, disability or additional learning
need. Developing positive relationships between pupils of all backgrounds is
an essential aspect of the work of the school. Staff are committed to
ensuring that all pupils achieve the highest possible standards in an
inclusive environment. We are pro-active in tackling and eliminating
discrimination and providing positive, non-stereotyped role models for all
pupils. Through monitoring and evaluating our provision within the school
improvement planning cycle, we aim to minimise the potential for
discrimination and ensure that equality is at the centre of our policy and
practice.
Any incidents of physical restraint are logged and monitored to look for
trends in occurrence and to try and ensure that we do not have a social,
racial or cultural bias in our response to and treatment of different groups
of pupils.
Objectives
The reasons we might occasionally need to use force are:
• maintaining the safety of pupils and staff;
• ensuring that the school is a safe place which is conducive for all
children to learn and grow;
• preventing serious breaches of school discipline;
• preventing serious damage to property; and
• the need to preserve children and young people’s rights.
Minimising the Need to Use Force
The use of force is always distressing for the staff and pupils concerned
and should be avoided wherever possible. The following strategies are used
effectively in order to try and minimise the circumstances in which the use
of force would be necessary:
• effective relationships are established between pupils and staff in
order to create a learning environment built around mutual respect and
trust;
• creating a calm environment that minimises the risk of incidents that
might require using force arising;
• knowing our pupils well helps us to recognise signs and triggers for
aggressive behaviour and we have a range of strategies at our disposal to
try and diffuse the situation before it escalates;
• using social and emotional well-being approaches to teach pupils how to
manage conflict and strong feelings;
• make referrals for one-to-one counselling or ELSA (Emotional Literacy
Support Assistant) sessions if pupils appear to be angry and aggressive
towards others;
• de-escalating incidents if they do arise;
• only using force when the risks involved in doing so are outweighed by
the risks involved in not doing so; and
• risk assessments and positive handling plans are in place for individual
pupils who have been identified as high risk. Staff working with these
pupils need to be aware of and adhere to their Personal Handling Plans
(PHPs) as far as possible.
Staff Authorised to Use Force
The governors have followed the Welsh Government document “Safe &
Effective Use of Intervention” (041/2010) in drawing up this policy. Any
member of staff who has been Team Teach trained is authorised to
intervene and or use force if they are the first person on hand. In a
situation where there is a more senior member of staff present then they
will make the judgement about when to use intervention, always trying to
employ other strategies first. The use of physical restraint is a last resort
for any member of staff and should only be used for the reasons listed:
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to prevent a pupil from attacking a member of staff, or another
pupil, or to stop a fight between two or more pupils;
to prevent a pupil from injuring themselves or others;
to prevent a pupil causing serious, deliberate damage to property,
including their own property;
to prevent a pupil causing injury or damage by accident, by rough
play, or by misuse of dangerous materials or objects;
to ensure that a pupil leaves a classroom where the pupil
persistently refuses to follow an instruction to do so;
to prevent a pupil behaving in a way that seriously disrupts a lesson;
or
to prevent a pupil behaving in a way that seriously disrupts a school
sporting event or school visit.
to preserve children and young people’s rights.
Deciding Whether To Use Force
The use of force must always be seen as a last resort and staff need to
make the decision based on the following criteria:
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the potential consequences of not intervening were sufficiently
serious to justify considering use of force;
the chances of achieving the desired result by other means were
low;
the risk associated with not using force outweighed those of using
force.
staff with high risk pupils in their class will be involved in drawing up
risk assessments and PHPs which will be shared with other staff on
a need to know basis. Any supply teachers will be made aware of
these pupils but will be asked to call for assistance in the case of a
potential conflict arising. All support staff have been Team Teach
trained and will support supply teachers in these circumstances;
any use of force depends on the age, understanding and physical
maturity of the pupil.
Using Force
Whilst the use of force may sometimes be unavoidable, we will always
endeavour to use the minimum force necessary to achieve the desired
result. The following guidelines must be followed by all staff in order to
minimise the risks to pupils:
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Wherever possible a clear oral warning is given to a pupil that force
may have to be used if they continue to behave in this way;
Staff communicate calmly with pupils, using non-threatening verbal
and body language and ensuring the pupil can see a way out of a
situation. If a pupil will accompany a member of staff to a quiet
area away from the other pupils then this is always encouraged;
Where physical restraint has to be used, using Team Teach
methods, a member of staff should continue talking to the pupil
throughout the incident and should make it clear that physical
contact/restraint will stop as soon as the pupil complies with the
instructions;
Only Team Teach strategies must be used to restrain pupils, other
ways of holding pupils may cause serious injury, particularly to their
breathing;
If a situation looks like it is escalating and there is not another
adult present in the room then another child should be sent to the
nearest available adult for assistance. As far as possible, staff
should not use force unless or until another responsible adult is
present to support, observe and call for assistance;
Staff should never put themselves in a situation where they are
alone with pupils, if they do need to keep a pupil back then classroom
doors should be kept open and another member of staff informed.
Staff Training
All staff have received Team Teach training via the Local Authority and
this is updated every 3 years. For staff who were absent on the day of the
training, we endeavour to access training in other schools for them as this
becomes available. Any staff who have not been team teach trained should
not engage in any physical restraint of pupils.
A structured approach to staff development helps staff to develop the
skills of positive behaviour management, manage conflict and also support
each other during and after an incident. Further guidance is provided in the
Welsh Assembly Government’s Inclusion and Pupil Support Guidance,
Circular 47/2006;
Recording and Reporting Incidents
Immediately following an incident it should be reported orally to the
Headteacher. A written report (Annex 1B: Use of Force to Control or
Restrain Pupils: Incident Record Form should be made as soon as possible
after this to prevent misunderstanding or misrepresentation of the
incident and it could be helpful in the event of a complaint.
The report should contain the following information:
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The name(s) of the pupil(s) involved, when and where the incident
took place;
Names of any other staff or pupils who witnessed the incident;
The reason why force was necessary (e.g. to prevent injury to the
pupil/another member of staff);
How the incident began and progressed, including details of the
pupil’s behaviour, what was said by each of the parties, the steps
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taken to defuse/calm the situation, the degree of force used, how
that was applied and for how long;
The pupil’s response and the outcome of the situation;
The details of any injury suffered by the pupil, other pupils or
members of staff and of any damage to property;
Consultation with those with parental responsibility and their
response;
Whether any complaint has been formally logged.
If staff wish to take advice on the filling out of this form, they should
seek it from a senior colleague or representative of their professional
association when compiling a report. The LA may be contacted for further
advice.
Any injuries suffered by an employee, as a result of a deliberate assault
arising out of or in connection with their work, should be reported under
the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations
1995 (RIDDOR). This would also be reported to the H & S Executive,
as well as Children's Services, the Local Children's Safeguarding Board, the
youth offending teams and the police if appropriate.
Post-incident support
If staff and pupils are involved in incidents of physical restraint there may
well be a need to follow-up the incident with counselling and support. This
might involve dealing with any physical and emotional needs, the rebuilding
of relationships, reflecting on the incident and how we might learn from it
to avoid similar situations occurring. Our Place2Be school project manager
is always available to meet with staff and pupils and the head, deputy or
any member of the Senior Leadership Team are there to provide guidance
and support.
Complaints and allegations
Parents must be informed as soon as possible of an incident involving the
use of force. They should be given the opportunity to discuss it. This may
be done orally, immediately if possible, or in writing at the end of the day.
In this way, the likelihood of complaints is reduced. If, however, complaints
do arise they should be handled, in the first instance, via the governors’
Complaints Procedure which is to be found on the school website or from
the school office on request.
Monitoring and review
This policy is monitored and reviewed on an annual basis, more often if
incidents arise beyond the scope of the policy. Any incidents of physical
restraint are shared with the chair of governors and the wider governing
body if appropriate. We work in close partnership with the behaviour
support team and their in-put is also sought in our monitoring and review
processes.
Jane Jenkins
March 2017
Annex 1B: Use of Force to Control or Restrain Pupils:
Incident Record Form
Details of pupil or pupils on whom force was
used by a member of staff (name, class).
Date, time and location of incident.
Names of staff involved (directly or as
witnesses).
Details of other pupils involved (directly or
as witnesses), including whether any of the
pupils involved were vulnerable for SEN,
disability, medical or social reasons.
Description of incident by the staff
involved, including any attempts to deescalate
and warnings given that force might be used.
Reason for using force and description and
degree of force used.
Any injury suffered by staff or pupils and
any first aid and/or medical attention
required.
Reasons for making a record of the incident.
Follow up, including post-incident support
and any disciplinary action against pupils.
Any information about the incident shared
with staff not involved in it and external
agencies.
When and how those with parental
responsibility were informed about the
incident and any views they have expressed.
Has any complaint been lodged (details
should not be recorded here)?
Report compiled by:
Name and role:
Signature:
Date:
Report countersigned by:
Name and role:
Signature:
Date: