Restrictive Interventions and Use of Reasonable Force

Fully aligned to the April 2026 DfE guidance on restrictive interventions

Get your school compliant with the April 2026 DfE guidance on restrictive interventions with this practical seven-resource pack for headteachers, SENDCos, behaviour leads and pastoral teams. The guidance replaces the 2013 Use of Reasonable Force advice and introduces new statutory recording and reporting duties – this pack helps you understand what has changed, audit your current practice and policy, and get the right systems in place.

Included in this pack:

• Leader Action Checklist that works through every area of the guidance – from statutory recording and reporting duties to policy, SEND support, staff training and governing body oversight – so you can identify your most urgent actions and plan your response
• Policy Checklist to audit your existing policy against the new statutory requirements and identify any gaps before governors are asked to ratify it
• Behaviour Risk Assessment Form and Pupil Behaviour Support Plan Template to support individual pupils where there is an identified risk of needing to use reasonable force, with a focus on de-escalation and preventative strategies
• Use of Restrictive Intervention and Reasonable Force Log with every statutory recording field built in, so leaders can record incidents compliantly and meet the same-day notification duty with confidence
• Staff Training Presentation – a ready-made PowerPoint covering the guidance changes, staff legal powers, the three-part assessment and recording responsibilities – all ready to use in a staff meeting with no preparation needed. Please note: this is not safe handling or physical restraint training that instructs staff how to safely restrain a pupil.
• 12 Restrictive Intervention Scenarios to build staff confidence in applying the guidance – ideal for drip-feeding into briefings and staff meetings across the year