Unruly pupils can be controlled by force, Balls tells Birmingham conference
Unruly pupils who seriously disrupt lessons and school activities or refuse to leave class should be controlled by force, new Government guidance for teachers suggests.
It says schools do not need parents’ consent to physically control and restrain youngsters who are seriously misbehaving.
Guidance published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and unveiled at a conference in Birmingham, sets out for teachers when they can reasonably physically intervene to stop bad behaviour.
It says teachers can act when pupils are fighting and could hurt each other; a pupil attacks a teacher or another student; if a pupil deliberately damages property; continually refuses to follow instructions to leave a class; or seriously disrupts a lesson or school activity - like sports day or a class trip.
It also says teachers can restrain youngsters who are hurting, or at risk of hurting, someone by accident, or if a pupil absconds from class, or detention - if that would put the pupil in danger or disrupt classes.
Setting out dos and don’ts for teachers, it says “passive physical contact” - such as standing between pupils or blocking their path - is acceptable, as is ushering a pupil away by putting a hand on their back.
Teachers can also use restrictive “holds” on pupils in “extreme” circumstances - such as if students refuse to stop fighting.
But using moves like the “nose distraction technique” - a sharp jab under the nose - are unacceptable, it says.
The guide also warns teachers against the “seated double embrace” - where two members of staff force a pupil into a sitting position and lean them forward, while a third takes care of the head - and the “double basket-hold”, which involves holding a student’s arms across their chest.
While schools do not need parental consent to restrain pupils, the guidance does say that parents, pupils and others should be consulted about the school’s policy on use of force.
Childrens’ Secretary Ed Balls was publishing the guide at the NASUWT’s annual conference in Birmingham.
He said the idea that schools should have “no contact” policies with pupils was simply a myth.
