What Is Positive Handling in Schools and When Is It Used?
Positive handling in schools: Most educators would prefer never to have to get physical with a pupil. But the circumstances arise in which a pupil may threaten to harm themselves, harm others or damage property, or cause serious disruption. Schools need guidance on what the law allows and what procedures to follow in such circumstances.
The new Department for Education guidance on restrictive interventions applies from 1 April 2026 to schools across England. The new guidance provides increased recording and reporting responsibilities for schools and more clarity regarding seclusion, prevention and support for pupils with SEND.
The Meaning of Positive Handling in School
This is where the use of positive handling is often misunderstood. What is positive handling? As the name suggests, positive handling is a method of managing behaviour which is graduated. It is a strategy that will be employed before any kind of physical intervention is needed and may involve a change of voice, lower demands, moving other pupils away or creating space for a distressed child.
The legal power to use force When force is required, the legal term is reasonable force. The Department for Education states that it is reasonable if it used “no more force than necessary, for the minimum time necessary”. Staff members have the legal authority to use reasonable force only.
A “restrictive intervention” is broader. According to the DfE, it is “an action that is non-physical or physical which is used to prevent, restrict or subdue a pupil’s movement”. “seclusion” has a narrower definition: “to isolate a pupil by removing others from their view or by preventing them from leaving a room or area, either through physical restraint or through the perception that they will be punished if they try to leave”.
This can be relevant to settings that have withdrawal rooms and other areas that are used when a child is distressed. It’s not the title of a room as a “calm space” that makes a difference, it’s what is done within it, and whether a child is able to leave.
When Reasonable Force Can Be Used
Stand2’s SEND and safeguarding trainers provide positive handling training for teachers, teaching assistants, behaviour and pastoral teams, and people working in PRU and SEND settings.
This power applies on the school premises and in any other place where the member of staff has lawful control or charge of the pupils, e.g. school trip.
A teacher, de-escalating an individual away from an immediate risk is very different from applying a long-term physical intervention. No force should be used that is disproportionate to the risk at that moment, rather than a knee-jerk reaction to difficult behaviour.
Staff training for school behaviour teams Teachers and other staff are already trained in the law and legal issues, but staff members who are making decisions about restrictive intervention with pupils need to understand how the law relates to the context of real pupils. Stand2 SEND and safeguarding trainers deliver positive handling training for teachers, teaching assistants, behaviour and pastoral staff and SEND and PRU settings.
Further, the DfE states that all practitioners who are expected to use reasonable force or other restrictive intervention should be provided with sufficient training, both in the safe and legal application of such and preventative measures. That is far more than just knowing how to physically hold or reposition a pupil.
What Changed in April 2026
DfE guidance From 1 April 2026, the DfE guidance replaced the 2013 guidance. It is applicable to: maintained schools, academies and free schools, pupil referral units, non-maintained special schools and independent schools in England. Some of the recording and reporting requirements are statutory and some of the wider DfE guidance is non-statutory.
A change relates to the recording of serious incidents involving the use of force. A “serious incident” involves force that exceeds reasonable and proportionate physical contact between pupils and staff. Rules are introduced requiring maintained school governing bodies and the proprietors of other schools to have a process for recording serious incidents and the record to be made as soon as is practicable.
In addition there are requirements relating to seclusion and restraint. Schools are required to have a system for recording each incident to which the regulations apply, and records should specify who was present, time and place, an estimated duration, relevant needs or circumstances of the pupil, reasons for the intervention and the result of the intervention (such as injury). Parents should be contacted as soon as possible after an incident, ideally by the end of the same day.
In addition, the new framework will help schools support pupils with SEND. It states that, if relevant, they should involve pupils with SEND and their families when developing any behaviour support plans. The plans might specify; communication and adjustment requirements, and when a restrictive intervention is likely to be deployed, with a review of the plan to take place at regular intervals and after an incident.
What Positive Handling Looks Like Before Physical Contact
Much of the work happens before anybody touches a pupil. Noise, crowded spaces and differences in sensory processing can contribute to distress for some pupils. Another pupil might become distressed when a routine changes. Knowing the individual child makes these early signs easier to recognise.
How will I react? This will vary according to the pupil and setting. It may involve modifying the tone of the discussion, minimising stimulation, providing more space or bringing a familiar adult in who the pupil already trusts. The DfE guidance asks schools to think about alternatives to physical contact and makes prevention and de-escalation part of a school policy.
A PRU, mainstream secondary and a SEND specialist school will not experience the same scenarios. Communication needs, sensory responses, existing triggers and behaviour support plans are unique to each child and will influence what happens in the lead up to the point when reasonable force is used.
Seclusion still requires safeguarding It should only be used as a protective measure to allow a pupil in a state of emotional and behavioural dysregulation to be safe from harming others under the supervision of a member of staff. The pupil should be able to return back to the learning environment once the risk has diminished and not as a form of punishment.
What Schools Should Check in Their Policies and Records
The school behaviour policy should reflect the actions teachers and support teams are expected to take during an incident. The Department for Education (DfE) recommends that school leaders have a policy about restrictive interventions and the circumstances in which reasonable force and seclusion are used and how incidents are to be recorded and reported. This can be contained within the behaviour policy or as a stand alone policy.
Recording should also be sufficiently detailed to allow others to understand the decision taken at the time. Where there is a major incident of force, the DfE expects the incident to be recorded as soon as possible, with those staff involved encouraged to do it on the same day. Information given to parents will include the time and date, location and length of time, the justification for intervention, the force applied and any physical marks.
Keeping Physical Intervention as the Last Part of the Response
Positive handling works best as a sequence rather than a physical technique in isolation. Teachers and support teams first need to recognise what is happening, consider the pupil’s needs and use appropriate ways to reduce escalation. Reasonable force enters the response only where the circumstances justify it.
The response does not end when the immediate incident is over. Recording, informing parents where required, reviewing what happened and revisiting a behaviour support plan all form part of the response. For pupils with SEND, the guidance asks schools to consider individual needs and reasonable adjustments, rather than treating the same response as suitable for every child.
For school leaders, this makes positive handling a matter of policy, preparation and judgement as much as physical intervention. When written procedures match what teachers, pastoral teams, SENCOs and teaching assistants have been taught, everyone knows what should happen before, during and after an incident.
Not just data for each individual incident The guidance then urges governing bodies and proprietors to look at evidence relating to restrictive interventions so that school leaders can find common triggers across the school, assess if pupil support is successful and look for areas where teachers and departments might require additional support.
If your school is examining its provision following April 2026, a good place to begin is to look at the written policy, incident forms, withdrawal spaces and staff training. If those four items are diverging in their approaches, decision makers during a complex incident are following different principles.
Ensure the Physical Intervention Section is the Final Element of Your Response
Physical intervention is most effective as a series of responses rather than a stand alone technique. Teachers and support staff must first identify the incident, reflect upon the pupils needs and employ suitable strategies to de-escalate the situation. Physical intervention is only used where the situation warrants this.
The response continues once the incident has concluded. Recording, reporting to parents where appropriate, reflecting on the incident and revisiting the behaviour support plan are part of the response. When responding to pupils with SEND, the guidance recommends that schools should consider the needs of the individual and reasonable adjustments, rather than applying the same response to every pupil.
For school leaders, that is positive handling a matter of policy, preparation and judgement as much as physical intervention. When written procedures are aligned with what teachers, pastoral teams, SENCOS and TAs have been trained to do, all staff know the aims and expectations before, during and after an incident.
FAQs
Is positive handling the same as restraint?
No. There is no requirement to use positive handling in the wider graduated approach to challenging behaviour. It can start with communication and de-escalation. The term restraint has a specific definition in the 2026 DfE guidance, in which it is described as ‘a non-disciplinary intervention that immobilises or reduces the movement of a pupil.
Who can make a reasonable force in a school?
Section 93 regulates the actions of a member of staff of a school when the pupil is being educated at the school. The power also has effect away from school when the member of staff has the lawful control or charge of the pupil.
Does the April 2026 guidance cover PRUs?
Yes. The DfE says the guidance applies to schools in England, pupil referral units (PRUs), non-maintained special schools and independent schools, local authority maintained schools, academies and free schools.
Does every SEND pupil require a behaviour support plan for the new guidance?
The guidance does not say that all pupils with SEND should have one. It says that, when appropriate, school staff should be engaging with pupils with SEND and their families to develop any behaviour support plans.
What should happen after restrictive intervention?
The school should also carry out recording and reporting obligations and reflect on what occurred. Further DfE guidance includes a debrief where applicable, considering causes, if the behaviour support plan was implemented, how the situation was de-escalated and what might be approached differently next time.
