Understanding the New Schools Rules on Restrictive Interventions

From 1 April 2026, schools in England have been working under updated Department for Education guidance on restrictive interventions. The change gives schools a clearer framework for recording significant uses of force and for recording and reporting incidents involving seclusion and restraint.

Most schools already know the rules have changed. The more practical question is what that looks like in everyday school life. Once an incident has been managed, staff need to record it clearly, parent communication needs to be handled properly, and the school needs a record that can be reviewed with confidence later on.

That is where the process matters. With IRIS Adapt, schools can keep incident records, follow-up actions and communication in one place, making reporting easier to manage and easier to evidence.

Book a demo to see how IRIS Adapt can support physical intervention and seclusion reporting across your school.

What Schools Need to Do Now

The updated guidance makes it clear that schools need more than a written policy. They need workable procedures for recording incidents, informing parents and reviewing practice afterwards. The DfE says the new guidance comes into effect on 1 April 2026, and the 2025 regulations impose duties relating to incidents where pupils are secluded, restrained or immobilised by school staff.

For most schools, that means tightening the workflow around three connected areas:

incident recording
parent communication
follow-up and review

If those steps sit across different systems, the process can quickly become harder to manage. If they sit together, staff can move from incident to record to review much more smoothly.

Recording Incidents More Effectively

After an incident, the first priority is a clear, accurate recording. The updated guidance says incidents should be recorded as soon as practicable, and schools should endeavour to do this no later than the same day.

In practice, that means the recording process has to work under pressure. Staff should be able to capture the essential details while they are still fresh, without having to duplicate information across several places later.

This is where IRIS Adapt fits naturally into day-to-day school practice. Incident details can be logged straight away, linked to the relevant pupil record, and kept alongside any safeguarding or behaviour context. That reduces the risk of gaps and makes the record more useful later.

Managing Seclusion with Clearer Records

One of the most important parts of the updated guidance is the clearer definition of seclusion. It describes seclusion as keeping a pupil confined away from others and preventing them from leaving, and says it should only be used as a safety measure to protect others from harm, not as a punishment.

That makes the written record especially important. Schools may need to show:

why seclusion was used
what risk was being managed
how the pupil was supervised
what happened afterwards

When that information is kept clearly in one place, it becomes much easier to review the school’s response and demonstrate that practice was managed appropriately. Within IRIS Adapt, seclusion records can sit alongside incident detail, follow-up actions and any wider safeguarding context, giving schools a fuller picture without extra admin.

Keeping Parent Communication on Track

The guidance says schools must have procedures for informing parents about significant use-of-force incidents, and the wider framework also covers the reporting of seclusion and restraint incidents. The guidance also says schools should communicate this information in writing, such as by email or an online messaging system.

For schools, this is often where process matters most. Parent communication needs to be prompt, clear and properly logged. It is much easier to manage when the communication sits within the same workflow as the incident record itself.

Using Reporting Data to Improve Practice

The updated guidance is not only about recording incidents. It also encourages schools to review restrictive intervention data so they can understand patterns, identify repeat triggers and improve future practice. The guidance says schools should record and analyse data on restrictive interventions to inform improvement planning, and the government consultation response highlights stronger expectations around prevention, de-escalation and analysing data.

This matters because incident reporting should do more than create a file. Used properly, it can help schools:

identify recurring triggers
review whether agreed strategies were followed
support behaviour planning and risk assessment
strengthen oversight across the school or trust

When information is fragmented, that kind of review is much harder. When records are centralised, leaders can see patterns sooner and respond more effectively.

Why a Single System Matters

The clearer framework raises expectations around consistency and visibility. Schools need a process that supports staff in the moment, but also gives leaders confidence in what sits behind the record.

That is why many schools are now looking beyond the legislation itself and focusing on workflow. A single system makes it easier to keep recording, communication and follow-up connected. In practical terms, that means less duplication, better oversight and a more reliable record when questions are raised later.

See How IRIS Adapt Can Help

If your school is reviewing how it handles physical intervention, restraint and seclusion reporting, IRIS Adapt can support a clearer and more consistent approach.

Book a demo to see how IRIS Adapt helps schools record incidents, manage communication and maintain secure audit trails.