Every Adult Has The Power: DfE's 4 Purposes For Reasonable Force

10 to 1. The playground. Right. Year four. Wet leaves. Yeah. And two boys who have gone from pushing to punching in about four seconds. Oh yeah, we know that exact scene. You are the midday supervisor nearest to it. There's absolutely no teacher in sight. And I will tell you the immediate thought in your head in that half second before you move. Right. Am I allowed to touch him? That is exactly the question. Yeah. That question has a legal answer. And since the 1st of April, it has a longer document behind it.

This is the education commute. Both voices on the show are synthesized. The judgment isn't. So we are looking at that document today. We are. I'm sitting in the reader's chair today holding the actual text. This is the Department for Education's document. It is titled Restrictive Interventions, Including Use of Reasonable Force in Schools. Right. It is the April 2026 version. And the very first thing you notice is the length. It is 21 pages long. 21 pages. Yeah. That is crucial because it is completely replacing the old 11 -page version from 2013.

Wow. OK, so that is 10 pages of additions. Exactly. They have added 10 pages of clarity, rules and duties. Right. Well, I am taking the teaching assistants chair today. OK. I am taking this perspective because, you know, the people who are actually nearest when an incident happens on the wet leaves. Yeah. They are almost never the people who are on the training day. Right. Exactly. They are the midday supervisors. They are the teaching assistants. They are the support staff. Then let us start directly with the answer to your question from the playground.

The document does not hide this. It is the very first thing under its own heading. The heading asks, who can use reasonable force? Right. I will read it exactly as written. It says all members of school staff have a legal power to use reasonable force in certain circumstances. Wait, let us isolate that phrase for a second. All members of school staff. All of them. The Department for Education means all of them. I mean, it is not a power reserve just for teachers. It is not reserved for the senior leadership team.

If you are a member of staff, you have that legal power. You do. But it is restricted to certain circumstances. The document gives a specific list of four purposes where this legal power applies. Four purposes. What is the first one? Purpose number one is preventing or stopping a pupil from causing injury to themselves or others. Which... That perfectly covers the two boys who have gone from pushing to punching in four seconds. Exactly. That is preventing injury to others. Yes. Purpose number two is committing a criminal offense.

Right. Purpose number three is damaging property. Okay. Damaging property. And purpose number four is causing disorder among pupils. Okay. So those are the four clear purposes. But there is a phrase that usually follows that, right? Regarding where this happens. Yes. The guidance specifically adds the phrase whether during a teaching session or otherwise. Or otherwise. Or otherwise. That is the definitive legal proof that the playground is covered. The playground is the or otherwise. It does not have to be inside a classroom during a lesson for the legal power to exist.

And we also need to look at what they mean by reasonable force. Because the term reasonable is clearly defined in the document. How do they define it? The Department for Education states that reasonable means using no more force than is necessary for the least amount of time. Using no more force than is necessary for the least amount of time. Yeah. Okay. That is the standard. That is the standard on paper. But, you know, here is where we need to look at what actually happens in schools.

Yeah. I will bring in the reality of school culture here. Because what is written in a 21 -page document is very different from the unwritten rule that circulates in a staff room. Oh, absolutely. I mean, I have worked in a school where the unwritten rule was simply don't touch them, ever. Just never touch them. Yeah. It was not an official written policy. It was a culture. Everyone just knew that if you put a hand on a child, you would be the one sitting in the head's office.

And you do not want to end up in the head's office. So staff just step back. Well, the Department for Education's guidance actually addresses that exact unwritten rule. They have a very specific sentence to counter it. What does it say? It states schools should not have a no contact policy. Seriously. It just says that. The document is entirely explicit. Schools should not have a no contact policy. That's a direct challenge to the culture of stepping back. It is. And the sentence immediately following that one goes even further.

Okay. It states that schools should not grant any requests by parents or requests by staff members not to use reasonable force. Wait. So they cannot grant a request to simply never use force. Why do they say that? Because the Department for Education states that doing so leaves staff unable to fully protect pupils. Oh, I see. Yeah. If you have a no -contact culture, you cannot intervene where reasonable in the circumstances to stop an injury. So that unwritten staff room rule of don't touch them ever is expressly forbidden by the guidance.

It is. And the document then provides a very clear list of physical contact that does not give rise to any question about force at all. What do they call them? They call this ordinary contact. And when you actually read the list, you realize they have had to spell out actions that should be common sense. Just to counter the fear staff have at the head's office. Exactly. So what is on the list of ordinary contact? Well, it includes giving first aid. Right. which you clearly have to do if a child is hurt.

Of course. It includes guiding or escorting. And the specific example they put in print is holding the hand of a pupil at the front or the back of the line. Again, countering the fear that simply holding a hand to guide a line is somehow a restrictive intervention. Right. It is not. It's ordinary contact. The list also includes a pat on the back. It includes a handshake. A handshake. Yes, a handshake. It includes showing someone how to hold a musical instrument. Okay. And it includes demonstrating a PE technique.

Right. Is there another one on that list? Yeah. Because there is one that really highlights the reality of school culture conflicting with the legal document and the fear in the staff room. You mean comforting a distressed pupil? Yes. Comforting a distressed pupil. Yes. Comforting a distressed pupil is on the list by name. I mean, the fact that comforting a distressed pupil has to be officially listed by name as ordinary contact shows how deep the no contact fear has gone. It really does. But it is there.

It is ordinary contact. So we have established the power. All members of school staff have the legal power for those four purposes. Yes. The playground is covered and a no contact culture is forbidden. Okay. So here is my pushback. Because, you know, allowed to is not the same as backed. What do you mean by that? I mean that. Knowing you are allowed to intervene on page seven of a document does not change the reality of the aftermath. Right. What actually happens in reality is that the adult who intervenes is the one who has to fill in the form.

The adult who intervenes is the one who fields the phone call from the angry parent. Yeah. And the adult who intervenes is the one who spends the next fortnight wondering if they will be believed by the leadership. Yes. Allowed to? Is not the same as back. That is the honest reality check. And, you know, I will make an honest concession right now. OK. The guidance cannot promise you will be backed. It cannot reach into a school and make that promise for every situation. Which is the core fear for the midday supervisor on the wet leaves.

The guidance does something else. This is the massive change that happened in April. Right. It is the reason the document went from 11 pages to 21 pages. We need to turn to page 14. Page 14. Page 14 is the only statutory page in the entire document. The statutory meaning it is a legal duty. Yes. The procedure duty. Page 14 requires that governing bodies and proprietors must ensure that a procedure is in place for recording each significant incident in which a member of staff uses force on a pupil.

It is a legal duty on the school to have the procedure. Yeah. And what does that procedure actually demand from the staff member? It demands a same -day record and a same -day report. A same -day record. Yes. The incident must be recorded in writing. And it states the staff involved should endeavor to do this no later than the same day. No later than the same day. That is the critical shift. It is. So what exactly goes into that written record before the staff member goes home?

Okay. The document lists the absolute minimum requirements for the written record. It is extensive. Let's go through it. First, it must include the names of the pupil and the staff involved. Right. That is the baseline. Then it must include the pupil's needs, specifically including their SEN status. Because that context is vital to understanding the incident. Yes. It requires the time, the date, the location, and the duration of the incident. The duration. Yeah. I mean, that is a detail you absolutely lose if you wait three days to write it down.

Exactly. You forget how long it actually lasted. Right. It then requires a record of what led up to it, and he triggers. And crucially, it requires a record of what de -escalation was tried before force was used. Wow. You have to record what you did to try and stop it without physical contact. Yes. Then it requires a description of what type and degree of force was used. Okay. It requires a record of any injuries that occurred. It requires a statement on why it was judged necessary.

And finally, it requires a record of what support followed the incident. All of those details. All of those details written down in writing no later than the same day. Okay. Well, that is the internal record for the school. What about the parents of the two boys on the playground? The incident must be reported to the parents as soon as practicable after the incident. Okay. And the aim stated by the Department for Education is, again, no later than the same day. So the parents hear about it on the same day it happens.

Yes. And this report to the parents must also be in writing. In writing to the parents. Yes. The guidance does clarify that an email or a message through the school's messaging system is perfectly fine, but it must be in writing. And what goes into that message? It must include the time, the date, the location, the duration, why it was necessary, what type and degree of force was used, and detail any injuries. Okay. I have a specific question about reporting to parents. Sure. Does this legal duty to record and report apply even if the parent has already agreed to the intervention in a plan?

Even then. The guidance is forceful and completely explicit on this point. Really? It says the requirement to record and the requirement to report both apply, even if the use of restrictive interventions in certain circumstances is agreed with parents as part of a pupil's behavior support plan. Okay. So you do not stop reporting just because a plan exists? No. You never stop reporting. Well, if we synthesize this, we are fundamentally redefining what it means to be backed. How so? We said earlier that allowed to is not the same as backed.

We worried about the fortnight of wondering. Yes, the wondering if you will be believed. But if we look at page 14, protection is not a vague promise from a head teacher. Protection is a same -day written record. It is a record made at 3 o 'clock by the person who is actually there. It contains the triggers. Contains the de -escalation tried. It is all written down before anyone's version of events has had a single night to settle. That is the protection. Preventing a fortnight of wondering if you will be believed because the exact facts are already secured in writing.

It changes the reality of the aftermath entirely. So that is the use of force and the reporting of force. I want to move to another major update in the document. What is that? The April 2026 guidance also introduces seclusion, and it introduces the 2025 regulations surrounding it. Seclusion. How does the Department for Education define seclusion? It defines it exactly as keeping a people confined to a place away from others and preventing them from leaving. Preventing them from leaving physically. Yes, preventing them from leaving by physically blocking them, or by making them believe they will be punished if they try to leave.

Either method counts as seclusion. Okay. And what are the rules governing seclusion? Well, it is strictly a safety measure. It can only be used as a safety measure, and it can only be used while the risk lasts. The pupil must be supervised throughout the entire time. Supervised the whole time. Yes. And the guidance is clear that seclusion is not a disciplinary response. Right. And if seclusion is used, does it trigger the same paperwork? Yes, absolutely. Every single incident of seclusion must be recorded and reported in exactly the same way as the use of force, same day, in writing, to the parents.

Okay, you mentioned seclusion is not a disciplinary response. What about the no punishment line regarding the use of force itself? Oh, that line is unchanged, and it is absolute. Okay. The document states clearly, it is illegal to use force on a pupil for the purpose of punishment. It is illegal. Entirely. And while we are discussing the absolute limits, the document provides critical safety lines that must be adhered to. What are those? There must be no restraint that affects their airway, breathing, or circulation. No restraint that affects the airway, breathing, or circulation.

Correct. And a further safety line. If a people ends up on the ground, staff must release or reposition them as quickly as possible. Release or reposition as quickly as possible. Yes. So we have the legal power. We have the list of ordinary contact. We have the statutory duty to record and report on the same day. And we have the safety lines. Right. Let us move sequentially through three distinct rooms to see how this applies. Okay. Let us start with a primary setting. The primary setting. This is the playground we started with.

Right. For the midday supervisor on the playground, the application of this guidance is straightforward. They need to know that the phrase, all members of school staff. includes them yes they have the power they need to know that stepping in to stop a punch is purpose one on the list preventing injury it is preventing injury and they need to know that their immediate job afterwards is to tell someone who will write it down in full detail before the end of the day right second let us move to a secondary school the stakes change here this is the corridor at lesson change There is a fight at the top of the stairs, and the nearest adult is the cover supervisor.

Okay, so the question for that cover supervisor is not just, am I allowed to intervene? The real question they're asking is, will anyone write this up properly? Exactly. And the answer from page 14 is that the duty is squarely on the school to have the procedure in place. Right. The school must have the procedure ready. The cover supervisor's job is simply to use that procedure that very afternoon. to get the incident recorded. Third, let us look at a specialist setting. This is where we discuss the behavior support plan.

Yes. The guidance says these plans should detail circumstances where it may be appropriate for staff to have increased physical contact. Okay. This must be agreed with the pupil, the parent, and the professionals. And it must be reviewed after any significant incident. Yes. But the critical application here is what we discussed earlier. Having a behavior support plan detailing circumstances for increased physical contact does not switch off the reporting. It does not switch it off. No. The requirement to record the incident and report it to the parents remains in full effect.

So we return to the playground. We return to the cold open. Ten to one. The wet leaves. The two boys going from pushing to punching. And you, the midday supervisor with no teacher in sight. Here is the exact sequence of actions based on everything in the April guidance. Okay. You step in. You separate them with the least contact that does it for the shortest time it takes. You say what you were doing while you do it. Right. Then you walk one of them to the office.

Yeah. You sit down with whoever the policy names and you get the written record done before going home. You make sure they write down the trigger. You make sure they write down what you tried first. You make sure they write down exactly what you did and how long it took. And the result of that sequence is that the parent hears about it from the school that afternoon in writing. They do not hear about it from the child at tea time. That is the whole change. The shift is not about whether you are allowed to intervene.

The shift is about whether the incident was written down by the person who was actually there. Well, I have a question for the listener to take into the staff room tomorrow. Oh, the kettle question. Yes. When you go to break, ask whoever is next to the kettle this question. If you step between two pupils today, who would you tell? And would it be written down before you left? That tells you exactly what the culture of the school is. And I will follow that with a question for leadership.

Let's call it the governor question. If a governor asked to see the record of significant uses of force since the 1st of April, and then that governor checked if they were reported to the parent on the same day, would the dates line up? With the dates lined up. Yeah. If a school does not have a procedure in place to check against, remember that page 14 is the statutory page. Getting that procedure in place is a this week job. Before you park, here are the three things to take off the drive today.

One, every staff member has the power to use reasonable force for the four purposes. And a no contact culture is expressly forbidden. Two, recording and reporting significant force is a legal duty. It must be written. It must be the same day. And it must go to the parent, even if a plan agreed to it. Free. Comforting, guiding, first aid, and handshakes are named ordinary contact. The question for you at 10 to 1 on the playground is not, may I intervene? The question is, what is the least contact that stops this, and who writes it down?

Everything we have discussed is linked at the website. There is a printable one -pager available at theeducationcommute .co .uk, ready for parents or for the staff room. Both voices on this show are synthesized. The judgment isn't. Safe trip in. See you at the gates.