FAQs on use of reasonable force and other restrictive interventions

The following FAQs and responses have been provided by the Department for Education while they work through legislative changes, due to be published before the end of the autumn term 2025. 

The DfE is pursuing legislative change to mandate schools to record and report significant incidents of force to parents. 

As the regulations are still being drafted, we cannot confirm the exact definition. However, we intend to cover instances where school pupils are confined to a space from which they cannot leave for non-disciplinary reasons. Details and further advice will be provided in the accompanying revised guidance.

It will be published by the end of the autumn school term. It will be enacted from 1 April 2026.

It is good practice for schools to record and report these incidents, and we know many schools already do this. It will become a mandatory legal duty for all schools from 1 April 2026. 

The department does not prescribe the systems or tools schools should use to record data. This is a decision for schools.

The accompanying guidance will be updated to provide robust, thorough and helpful advice, taking into consideration feedback received from the sector during the consultation on the draft ‘Use of reasonable force and other restrictive interventions’ guidance earlier in 2025. This will support staff to understand how best to implement the new changes in their own schools. 

The regulations will be statutory; they will carry legal weight and will be enforceable. Schools will also be expected to make data on the use of force and restrictive interventions available to Ofsted during inspections. 

The guidance and legislation are aimed at schools. We will inform sector stakeholders when the guidance and legislation have been published and we expect schools to make parents aware of updates to their school policies. 

We recognise the importance of allowing schools sufficient time to become familiar with and embed the new policies and legal duties. While there are currently no plans for a formal consultation at this stage, we are always open to feedback and welcome ongoing dialogue from the sector to help ensure the guidance is practical, effective, and supportive of school communities.

It will be published alongside the revised guidance and new pieces of legislation – by the end of the autumn school term.