Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential effect of the use of isolation as a form of discipline in schools on children's mental health.

Schools are free to develop their own behaviour policies and strategies for managing behaviour according to their own particular circumstances. To help schools develop effective strategies, the Department has produced advice for schools which covers what should be included in the behaviour policy. This advice can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-and-discipline-in-schools.

Schools can adopt a policy which allows disruptive pupils to be placed in isolation away from other pupils for a limited period. If a school uses isolation rooms as a disciplinary penalty, this should be made clear in their behaviour policy. As with other disciplinary penalties, schools must act lawfully, reasonably and proportionately in all cases. The school must also ensure the health and safety of pupils.

The Department is currently refreshing its guidance on pupil behaviour and mental health in schools, which will be published later this year. It will emphasise the importance of setting clear routines and expectations for the school as a whole. It will also support schools to consider the mental health needs of their pupils and to provide an appropriate response that helps pupils to improve their behaviour.