Reasonable force in schools
Get to grips with your statutory recording and reporting requirements for reasonable force, seclusion and restraint. Plus, understand when you might need to use reasonable force and how to use de-escalation techniques effectively.
Who it's for
All school staff
This course is fully in line with the DfE's guidance Restrictive interventions, including the use of reasonable force, in schools.
The new guidance and your statutory recording and reporting requirements came into force on 1 April 2026.
If you completed this course before 12 March 2026, you'll need to select 'take course again' (see above) to take the course again with the new changes.
You can access this course on any device including mobile phones, but for the best user experience, we recommend using a laptop or desktop computer.
This course covers:
- What reasonable force and other restrictive interventions are
- What to consider before using reasonable force
- How to use reasonable force effectively, if you need to use it
- Your roles and responsibilities, including the new recording and reporting requirements for all types of restrictive intervention
- How to use de-escalation techniques effectively to reduce the need for reasonable force and other restrictive interventions
Note: this course focuses primarily on the use of reasonable force, which is only one kind of restrictive intervention. This is because use of reasonable force is the riskiest type of restrictive intervention, and requires staff to act confidently and make quick judgements in the moment.
For further guidance and resources to help you train staff on other types of restrictive interventions, please see the links below.
We'd love to hear your feedback
If you've completed this course, we'd love to hear your thoughts on it. Our feedback form takes about 3 to 5 minutes to complete.
Further guidance on restrictive interventions
See our articles on The Key Leaders for more support
How to minimise the need for restrictive interventions
Understand how to use whole-school and individual approaches to minimise the need to use restrictive interventions. Find out how to identify pupils' triggers and behaviour hotspots, and initiate de-escalation techniques early to prevent an incident from happening.
Seclusion vs removing a pupil from the classroom: requirements and guidance
Get to grips with the difference between seclusion and removal. Understand your responsibilities, the processes you need to follow, and new requirements around recording and reporting.