Written by Ian Rafferty, CEO and Lead Trainer, Teach+ Positive Intervention. Reviewed by Dr Carol Sadler, Chartered Clinical Psychologist. Header image by gpointstudio on Magnific.
Most primary schools recorded physical interventions long before 2026. What changed on 1 April 2026 is that recording and reporting became a legal duty, with set minimum content and a clear expectation on timing. A form in a drawer, completed when someone has time, no longer meets the standard.
This guide sets out what you must record, what you must tell parents, how quickly, and when the exceptions apply. It is written for primary heads who need a system that works on a busy Tuesday, not only on paper. Recording is also a core part of Teach+ Positive Intervention training, because the adult who intervenes is the adult who writes the record.
The legal duty in brief
The DfE guidance, Restrictive interventions, including use of reasonable force, in schools, took effect on 1 April 2026. It sets out two linked duties.
Significant use of force. Governing bodies and proprietors must have a procedure for recording each significant use of force and reporting it to parents. This part is statutory guidance under section 93A of the Education and Inspections Act 2006.
Seclusion and restraint without force. The Schools (Recording and Reporting of Seclusion and Restraint) (No. 2) (England) Regulations 2025 require the same for every incident of seclusion, and every restraint that involves no direct force, such as removing a pupil's walking aid.
Governing bodies and proprietors must also take all reasonable steps to make sure the procedures are followed. Having a policy is not enough on its own.
What counts as a significant use of force
The guidance treats force as significant when it goes beyond appropriate physical contact. Appropriate contact includes first aid, guiding or escorting a pupil, comforting a distressed child and demonstrating a technique in PE.
Physical force used to carry out another intervention also counts. Holding a door shut to keep a pupil in a room is both seclusion and a significant use of force. Where a restraint is also a significant use of force, the force procedure applies.
Our practical advice: if a member of staff is unsure whether contact was significant, they should record it. An unnecessary record costs minutes. A missing one is a breach of the procedure.
What you must record
The staff member involved should record the incident as soon as practicable, ideally the same day.
For a significant use of force
The minimum details are:
the names of the pupil and the staff directly involved
the pupil's relevant needs, including whether they have SEND and their SEN status code
the time, date, location and approximate duration
a brief account of what led up to the incident, any triggers, the de-escalation strategies tried, the type and degree of force, and any injuries
a brief reason why force was judged necessary
any post-incident support, such as medical treatment
The guidance also suggests recording pupil and witness accounts, when and how parents were told, and any follow-up action.
For seclusion or restraint without force
The minimum details are the names of the pupil and staff, the time, date, location and duration, the pupil's relevant needs and SEN status code, why the intervention was judged necessary, any physical injuries and any post-incident support.
Many schools miss the SEN status code. Build it into your form so staff do not have to look it up after the event.
What you must tell parents
Schools must report each significant use of force to parents as soon as practicable, ideally the same day, in writing. Email or a school messaging system is acceptable. The report must include:
the time, date, location and approximate duration
why the intervention was judged necessary
the type and degree of force used
any injuries
For seclusion and restraint without force, the format depends on the type of school. Maintained schools must supply parents with a copy of the written record. Academies, independent schools and non-maintained special schools must provide the information in writing.
Who counts as a parent
For these duties, "parent" includes carers and anyone with parental responsibility. It also includes a local authority providing accommodation for the child under section 20 of the Children Act 1989. Check that your contact records show everyone who should receive a report, not only the adult who collects the child.
A plan does not remove the duty
Some parents agree, in a behaviour support plan, to particular interventions being used. Recording and reporting still apply every time. Our post on positive handling plans explains how plans and reporting fit together.
When the exceptions apply
There are only two exceptions to reporting to parents:
The pupil is aged 20 or over, which rarely applies in a primary school.
The staff member believes reporting would be likely to cause serious harm to the pupil.
In the second case, the school must still report to any parent who can be told without that risk. If there is no such parent, the report goes to the local authority where the pupil normally lives. Your DSL should make this decision, and the reason should be written down. The incident must still be recorded in full.
The follow-up conversation
The guidance describes inviting parents to a follow-up discussion as best practice, where appropriate. Useful topics include:
the triggers or warning signs before the incident
whether the pupil's plan was followed
which de-escalation strategies were tried, and how well they worked
what everyone could do differently next time
This conversation often does more to rebuild trust than the written report. It is also the best source of information for updating a pupil's plan.
What to leave out of the parent report
This is practical advice rather than a requirement of the guidance. The minimum content for parents does not include the names of other pupils or staff members' internal comments. Many incidents involve more than one child, and the other children's details are their families' information.
Keep the parent report to the required facts, written plainly. Keep the fuller internal record, including other pupils' involvement, in your secure system. If you are unsure what can be shared, ask your data protection officer.
What governors should do with the data
Governing bodies and proprietors should review restrictive intervention data regularly. The guidance sets no frequency, so we suggest a termly review as a minimum. The purposes are to:
improve policies and practice, especially approaches that are not working
identify staff training and development needs
spot patterns and triggers for individual pupils
identify any disproportionate use with pupils with SEND or protected characteristics
The guidance also warns against over-reading small numbers. In a primary school of 200 pupils, one child's difficult term can dominate the figures. Governors need context, not just totals.
Five questions to test your system
Can a midday supervisor complete a record before their shift ends?
Does your form capture the SEN status code and the de-escalation tried?
Who sends the parent report, and where is the sending logged?
Do staff record restraint without force, such as removing a walking frame, and seclusion with an open door?
Can governors see anonymised totals and patterns each term?
If the answer to any of these is no, start there. Our post on what the 2026 guidance means for staff training covers how to train staff in recording, and our post on seclusion in schools explains what must be recorded as seclusion.
This article is general guidance, not legal advice. Check your policies against the full DfE guidance.
Frequently asked questions
Do we have to record every time a member of staff touches a pupil?
No. The duty covers significant uses of force, meaning force beyond appropriate physical contact such as first aid or guiding a pupil. Every incident of seclusion, and every restraint without force, must be recorded.
Can we phone parents instead of writing to them?
A phone call is a good idea, but it does not replace the written report. The guidance says reports should be in writing, for example by email or a school messaging system.
What if an incident happens at the end of the school day?
The guidance asks for recording and reporting as soon as practicable, ideally the same day. If same-day reporting is not possible, we advise noting why on the record and reporting as early as you can.
Parents agreed to this intervention in the pupil's plan. Do we still report it?
Yes. Recording and reporting apply even where parents have agreed to an intervention as part of a behaviour support plan.
How long should we keep incident records?
The guidance does not set a retention period. Follow your school's records retention policy, and take advice from your data protection officer or trust if the policy does not cover these records.
Book a free behaviour audit
Want to know whether your recording and reporting would stand up to scrutiny? Teach+ offers primary schools a free behaviour audit. We review your policy, incident records and reporting process against the 2026 guidance, and show you where the gaps are.
Book your free behaviour audit or read more about Teach+ Positive Intervention training.
Sources
DfE, Restrictive interventions, including use of reasonable force, in schools (April 2026), via GOV.UK
UK Parliament, Schools (Recording and Reporting of Seclusion and Restraint) (No. 2) (England) Regulations 2025
Challenging Behaviour Foundation, statement on the revised guidance and new legal duties
Forbes Solicitors, Use of reasonable force in schools: changes from April 2026
Irwin Mitchell, New government guidance on restrictive interventions