Updated November 2026 to reflect the new DfE guidance.
What Is Restrictive Physical Intervention?
Restrictive physical intervention (RPI) means any action that restricts, limits or subdues the movement of a pupil's body or part of their body. Most often, this means physical restraint: for example, holding a pupil's arms to prevent them from harming themselves or others.
The 2026 DfE guidance treats physical intervention as one kind of restrictive intervention. The others are restraint without force, such as removing a pupil's walking aid, and seclusion, where a pupil is kept apart from others and prevented from leaving. All three must be recorded and reported to parents. Our post on seclusion in schools explains where the line falls.
Restrictive intervention is distinct from non-restrictive physical contact, such as guiding a pupil by the shoulder, a reassuring hand, or standing between two pupils. Non-restrictive contact is part of everyday school life. Restrictive intervention is something categorically different, and must be treated as such.
Restrictive intervention should always be a last resort. The question is never "can we use force?" but "have we exhausted every other option first?"
The Legal Framework
Section 93 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 gives school staff the statutory power to use reasonable force in specific circumstances. The power applies to all members of school staff, not just teachers.
Section 95 of the same Act defines staff as any teacher who works at the school, and any other person who has lawful control or charge of pupils with the head teacher's authority. Heads should make that authority explicit for teaching assistants and midday supervisors. Once it is in place, staff do not need to ask permission before acting in an emergency. Our post on reasonable force for TAs and lunchtime staff explains what this means in practice.
The DfE guidance Restrictive interventions, including use of reasonable force, in schools took effect on 1 April 2026 and replaced the 2013 guidance. It states that reasonable force may be used to prevent a pupil from:
Committing a criminal offence
Injuring themselves or others
Causing damage to property
Causing disorder among pupils, in or outside lessons
The Equality Act 2010 adds an important layer: staff must consider whether a pupil's behaviour is related to a disability or SEND need, and any intervention must not be discriminatory in its application.
The Necessity and Proportionality Test
Two tests must be satisfied before any physical intervention is justified:
Necessity: Is physical intervention genuinely needed right now? Have all reasonable alternatives been attempted or ruled out?
Proportionality: Is the level of force being used no more than is absolutely necessary? The minimum force for the minimum time.
These are not abstract legal concepts. They are practical questions that staff must be able to answer in real time, under pressure. This is exactly why training matters: untrained staff hesitate, misjudge or overreact. Well-trained staff act with appropriate confidence and restraint.
Dynamic and Generic Risk Assessment
Employers must carry out risk assessments for staff who may need to use force. Where a pupil has an identified risk, such as a higher likelihood that reasonable force will be needed, schools must also have an individual risk assessment in place. This usually means two types:
Generic risk assessment. Applies to all pupils. Sets out the school's general approach, training standards and policy framework for the use of reasonable force.
Individual or dynamic risk assessment. Specific to a named pupil. Created where there is a known or predictable risk that physical intervention may be required. Updated regularly and held in the pupil's file.
Where a pupil has a known pattern of behaviour that may require intervention, schools should have a behaviour support plan and risk assessment in place before an incident occurs, not written afterwards. Our post on positive handling plans sets out what the plan should contain.
Staff Competence and Training
The DfE guidance says staff who may need to use reasonable force should be adequately trained in its safe and lawful use. It does not set a national training standard or require any accreditation, so the choice of training rests with school leaders. That makes the quality of the provider more important, not less.
One useful distinction is between providers whose trainers hold an Ofqual-regulated qualification and those that rely on internal assessment only. An Ofqual-regulated qualification is assessed against an external, regulated standard. That gives schools quality assurance, and stronger evidence if an incident is ever questioned: you can show your staff were trained by people qualified to an external standard, not one your training provider invented. Our post on what the 2026 guidance means for staff training covers how to plan training.
Alternatives to Restraint
The 2026 guidance puts prevention and de-escalation first. With the right skills, many incidents that might escalate to physical intervention can be prevented or calmed. These skills include:
Early identification of warning signs using the Aggression Curve model
Verbal and non-verbal de-escalation techniques
Environmental adjustments to reduce triggers
Trauma-informed responses that address the root cause of behaviour
Restorative conversations that rebuild relationships after low-level incidents
Physical intervention training that does not spend the majority of its time on these alternatives is not doing its job properly.
Recording, Reporting and Post-Incident Support
Since 1 April 2026, recording and reporting are legal duties. Every significant use of force, and every incident of seclusion or restraint without force, must be recorded as soon as practicable, ideally the same day. The record should include:
the names of the pupil and staff involved
the pupil's relevant needs, including SEND and their SEN status code
the date, time, location and approximate duration
what led up to the incident, any triggers and the de-escalation tried
the type and degree of force used, and why it was judged necessary
any injuries and post-incident support
Parents must be told in writing, ideally the same day. Our guide to recording and reporting incidents to parents covers the full requirements and the exceptions.
Post-incident support for both the pupil and the staff member involved is not optional: it is essential. For the pupil, it is an opportunity to understand what happened and rebuild trust. For the staff member, it is a safeguard against trauma and a chance to review whether the intervention was appropriate.
Post-incident debriefing is not paperwork. It is the practice that prevents the same incident from happening again, and protects both pupils and staff.
The Teach+ Approach
Teach+ Positive Intervention training is built on the principle that physical intervention is an emergency last resort, not a behaviour management tool. Our six-module programme ensures staff understand the legal framework, develop genuine de-escalation skills, and only then, in the final module, learn graded physical techniques, taught by trainers who hold an Ofqual-regulated qualification.
Every Teach+ package also includes ongoing access to clinical and education psychologists. That support continues after training ends and helps staff embed what they have learned in their day-to-day practice.
Book a free behaviour audit or read more about Teach+ Positive Intervention training.
