Use of reasonable force in schools: what the April 2026 guidance changes

For more than a decade, school leaders who needed to know when staff could use force turned to one short DfE document: Use of reasonable force in schools, published in 2013 and reviewed in 2015. That advice stopped applying on 31 March 2026. From 1 April 2026 it was replaced by Restrictive interventions, including use of reasonable force, in schools, which is longer, wider in scope and, for the first time, partly statutory.

At ProActive Approaches we welcome the change, and we read it through the position our founder Simon Gower has held since 2016: #AimingForZero. A reduction target implies there is a number of restraints that is acceptable. Zero removes that permission, and it changes the question a school asks after every incident from "was it lawful?" to "what would have made it unnecessary?" The new guidance raises the legal floor. It does not set the goal. This article explains what it says, what has changed for schools, and what to do next.

Where to find the guidance

The GOV.UK page for use of reasonable force in schools now hosts both documents: the 2013 advice, marked as effective until 31 March 2026, and the new guidance, in effect from 1 April 2026. If your policy, training materials or staff handbook still quote the 2013 advice, they need updating.

The new guidance applies to all schools in England, including maintained schools, academies, free schools, independent schools, non-maintained special schools, maintained nursery schools, alternative provision academies and pupil referral units. It is written for proprietors, governing bodies, school leaders, school staff and local authorities.

What is statutory and what is advice

Most of the document is non-statutory advice, which schools should follow unless they have good reason not to. The part that sets out how schools record and report significant incidents involving force is statutory guidance under section 93A of the Education and Inspections Act 2006, so governing bodies and proprietors must have regard to it. A separate set of duties for seclusion and restraint without force comes from the Schools (Recording and Reporting of Seclusion and Restraint) (No. 2) (England) Regulations 2025.

The power has not changed

Section 93 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 still gives all members of school staff the power to use reasonable force to prevent a pupil from causing injury to themselves or others, committing an offence, damaging property, or causing disorder. Reasonable still means no more force than is necessary, for the least amount of time. It is still a power, not a duty, and it is still illegal to use force as a punishment.

What has changed is everything around the power: the language, the limits, the records and the accountability.

New definitions

The guidance introduces a vocabulary that many school policies do not yet use:

• Restrictive intervention: a means to prevent, restrict or subdue movement of the body, or part of the body, of a pupil. This is now the umbrella term.
• Reasonable force: the legislative term, which includes physical restrictive interventions.
• Restraint: a non-disciplinary intervention that immobilises a pupil or limits their movement, with or without direct physical contact. Holding a pupil's arms to their sides is restraint. So is removing their crutches.
• Seclusion: keeping a pupil confined away from others and preventing them from leaving, by physical obstruction, blocking, or making them believe they will be punished if they leave.
• Significant incident: any use of force that goes beyond appropriate physical contact, including force used to carry out a non-physical restriction.

The guidance is clear that including these definitions is not an endorsement of their use. For many schools the most important change is recognising that seclusion and non-contact restraint are restrictive interventions that must be recorded.

Clearer limits on what staff must never do

• Use force as punishment.
• Restrain a pupil in a way that affects their airway, breathing or circulation, such as covering the mouth or nose, or putting pressure on the neck or abdomen.
• Hold a pupil on the ground. If it happens unintentionally, staff should release or reposition to a safer alternative as quickly as possible.
• Implement seclusion through a threat of punishment, use it as a response to deliberate misbehaviour, or leave a secluded pupil unsupervised.

The guidance also says that any form of restraint, including seated and standing, carries a risk of physical and psychological harm and should be avoided where possible.

Prevention comes first

The guidance asks schools to minimise the need for restrictive interventions through whole-school measures and individual approaches. Whole-school measures include an environment that helps pupils thrive, consistent behaviour management in classrooms and communal spaces, staff training in communication and de-escalation, trusted relationships, and the use of incident data. Individual approaches include working with parents, behaviour support plans co-produced with pupils with SEND and their families, reasonable adjustments, and giving pupils time and space to calm down.

Where an intervention is considered, staff should weigh necessity, proportionality, and the pupil's welfare and dignity, including their age, size, medical conditions, SEND, past trauma and communication needs.

The new recording and reporting duties

This is where most schools will need to change their procedures.

Recording

Governing bodies and proprietors must ensure there is a procedure for recording each significant incident in writing as soon as practicable. Staff should aim to complete the record no later than the same day. The minimum content includes the names of the pupil and staff directly involved, the pupil's relevant needs including SEN status, time, date, location and duration, what led up to the incident and what de-escalation was tried, why force was assessed as necessary, the type and degree of force, injuries, and the support given afterwards.

Reporting to parents

Parents must be informed of each significant incident as soon as practicable, and schools should aim to do so the same day, in writing. The duty applies even if parents have agreed in a behaviour support plan that restrictive interventions may be used. There are narrow exceptions where the pupil is aged 20 or over, or where informing a parent would be likely to result in serious harm to the pupil.

Seclusion and restraint without force

Equivalent recording and reporting duties apply to seclusion and to restraint that does not involve force. Where an incident is both, it only needs to be reported once.

Our detailed guide on how to record physical intervention in schools sets out the full requirements, with examples.

After an incident

The guidance expects schools to evaluate every restrictive intervention as soon as practicable: why it happened, its impact on the pupil and staff, any patterns, and how it might be avoided in future. It also expects medical assessment where needed, separate reflective conversations with the pupil and staff involved, ideally led by someone not present, support for witnesses, and a review of the pupil's behaviour support plan after every significant incident.

Governance and data

Governing bodies and proprietors must take all reasonable steps to ensure the recording and reporting procedures are followed. They should regularly review the data to help leaders improve policy and practice, identify staff training needs, understand repeat patterns, and identify disproportionate use with pupils who share protected characteristics, have SEN or have other vulnerabilities. The guidance also warns against over-interpreting small numbers.

Training

Staff likely to need restrictive interventions should be adequately trained in safe and lawful use and in preventative strategies. The guidance leaves leaders to decide what training their context requires, as long as it reflects the guidance's principles. It does not name a provider or certificate. Our guide to physical intervention training for schools explains what to look for.

Questions staff are asking

When we brief school teams on the new guidance, the same practical questions come up.

• "Can I still step between two pupils who are fighting?" Yes. Positioning yourself to block or separate is often the least restrictive option. If you then use force beyond appropriate contact, it is a significant incident and must be recorded.
• "Is sending a pupil to the quiet room now seclusion?" Only if the pupil is prevented from leaving, whether by a closed door, a member of staff blocking the way, or the belief they will be punished if they leave. A room a pupil chooses to use and can leave freely is not seclusion.
• "Do I have to record guiding a pupil by the hand to the lunch queue?" No. Guiding and escorting are given as examples of appropriate physical contact.
• "What if I could not record it the same day?" Record it as soon as practicable and note why there was a delay. The guidance says staff should endeavour to record no later than the same day.
• "Will I be in trouble if I hold a pupil?" Staff who act lawfully, proportionately and in line with the policy and their training are using a legal power. The guidance expects schools to support staff, including through reflective conversations after incidents.

What schools should do now

1. Update the policy so it uses the new definitions and reflects the recording and reporting duties. Our article on what a school physical intervention policy should include sets out the sections.
2. Update the recording form so every required field is captured, including SEN status and the de-escalation used.
3. Set up written parental notification that can happen the same day.
4. Brief all staff on what now counts as a restrictive intervention, especially seclusion and non-contact restraint.
5. Agree a data report for governors that shows patterns, not just totals.
6. Review training against the guidance's principles, with prevention at the centre.

For a whole-school approach built around prevention, see ProActive Schools.

FAQ

Is the 2013 Use of reasonable force advice still valid?

No. GOV.UK says it remained effective until 31 March 2026. From 1 April 2026 schools should follow Restrictive interventions, including use of reasonable force, in schools.

Does the new guidance apply to academies and independent schools?

Yes. It applies to all schools in England. The duties fall on governing bodies of maintained schools and on proprietors of other schools.

Do we still need a bound book?

The new guidance does not mention a bound book. It requires a written record of each significant incident with specified minimum content. An electronic system is fine as long as it captures every required field. As good practice, choose one where changes to a record are logged.

Do parents have to be told every time?

Yes, for every significant incident involving force, and for every incident of seclusion or restraint without force, subject to narrow exceptions. Schools should aim to inform parents the same day, in writing.

Is physical intervention training now mandatory?

No law requires a specific certificate. The guidance says staff likely to need restrictive interventions should be adequately trained in safe and lawful use and in prevention, and leaves school leaders to decide the training their context needs.