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The ICARS Report England:

The ICARS Report England documents the experiences of 560 English children. It exposes an educational system which has failed children, especially those receiving SEND services, and their families with devastating consequences.

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The Issue:

  • Behavioural approaches are being implemented to manage behaviours associated with disability
  • Rather than supporting accommodation needs in the school, children are punished for behaviours associated with their disabilities
  • Educators lack education and training in disability-affirming practices contributing to a culture that prioritizes control and policing of behaviours that are a reaction to being under-accommodated
  • Research into the factors that contribute to the use of restraint indicate that prioritising psychological safety and creating an inclusive culture are how to eliminate the use of restraint

Read the Report Now

Download the Report
The ICARS Report Summary Deck
The Testimonies Supplement

How can you help?

Contact Your MP
Enter your Postcode below:

Has your child been subjected to restraint & seclusion in England's schools?

If yes, please respond here to the Dept. for Education “Use of reasonable force and restrictive practices in schools” consultation and tell them your story and why legislative protections are needed.

ICARS Report England Map

Map shows the local authorities overseeing the schools children attended, not the locations where the children reside.

"Restraint and seclusion used because he was crying a few weeks after his mum died."
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
""He's has cuts to his shoulders, his arms chest, legs and ribs were bruised he has black eyes and held face down."
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
"It was presented as being the best thing to help my child. It was not."
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
"Child just diagnosed with school related C-PTSD by [REDACTED] hospital"
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
""He went temporarily blind usually lasting a day and night. His behaviour deteriorated. He ended up with diagnosed PTSD."
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
""Tried to commit suicide at home and has tried numerous times to self harm."
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
"I’ve insisted school follow the Equality Act and make reasonable adjustments to the behaviour policy. They say they don’t have to."
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
“They made me sign a form after he started. They said he couldn't go to the school until it was signed as it was a legal requirement. No signature, no school.”
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
""Red markings in the wrists/arms, bruising, a hole on the inside of his cheek and he collapsed complaining he couldn't breath and felt dizzy and sick, no medical attention was given."
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
"My son has been restrained and secluded most days. School won't apply for EHCP. School don't see a problem with harming my child."
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
"They said that they had training in interventions that was very open to interpretation, but it certainly wasn't described to us as effectively locking him in a room."
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
“5 teachers holding my autistic son face down on the floor.”
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
"He suffered from severe anxiety and emotional dysregulation, he didn’t speak for weeks. CAMHS visited weekly. He has suffered a trauma, and was scared of being on his own. It’s left a lasting imprint on him."
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
"At primary school, he was placed everyday in a separate room with other 'naughty' children with challenging behaviour and allowed to watch videos all day on You Tube."
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
"He was unable to attend education following seclusion trauma his health became so bad he had 4 months in a CAMHS hospital under section 3 of Mental Health Act."
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
“The reason he was kept isolated was that the school kept him in there for his own safety, because he was being bullied.”.
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
"My son was restrained several times and on one occasion locked in an office, another occasion he was thrown out into the carpark."
Parent Carer Testimony
Parent Carer Testimony
"He was the one being bullied, yet he suffered a breakdown because of the way the school dealt with the situation. No child should be restrained or isolated."
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
“He has been in the library and now an unused cloakroom with a TA for all lessons except maths and PE for almost this entire academic year”
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
"They didn't know how to deal with a child with PDA. They just increased demands for good behaviour."
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
"Restraint wasn't necessary on my son. He had never needed it before that school nor after. I took him out the school after eight months."
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
"Held on the floor for over 30 minutes awaiting arrival of parent. Removed from class and put in a separate room. Devastating."
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
""Schools never discussed restraint or seclusion before my son started school."
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
“We did not give permission for the school to use restraint or seclusion and this was never discussed with us as parents. Indeed, the school appears to have tried to cover up their mistreatment of our son.”
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
"He was often restrained and at times caged by chairs at 7 years old . He has been pinned to the floor and pushed into a calmed room where he fell and broke his [REDACTED]."
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
"33 episodes of restraint in 180 days attendance at school."
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
"My child was physically dragged from outside school to inside and suffered a dislocated shoulder. He was further restrained twice."
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
"I have withdrawn my son from school due to the amount of times he was restrained and came back bruised, bleeding and traumatised."
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
"I was told this was as an absolute last result if de- escalation wasn’t possible and if he was unsafe and would hardly if ever happen . In one day he was restrained 4 times."
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
"The teachers were trained in it on one of the inset days. It was almost like they couldn’t wait to use it on him. 4 adults against a 7 year old boy."
Parent Carer Testimony
Parent Carer Testimony
"Only came to light when he started saying teacher hurt me."
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony
"I was not prepared for how often he would be restrained, he was 'the wrong type of autistic' (their words) for that school. I felt utterly powerless, was told no other school would have him."
Parent/Carer Testimony
Parent/Carer Testimony

Share your experience

Have you, a family member or a loved one been affected by the issues we raise in the ICARS Report England?

ICARS are looking for new case studies to inform our ongoing work from families and carers whose children are currently experiencing restraint and seclusion and adult survivors of restrictive practice use in education.

If you would like to take part in our subsequent releases or would like to be informed of our future case study survey releases, please provide the following information:

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