Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools in (a) Houghton and Sunderland South constituency, (b) the North East and (c) England have placed disruptive children in isolation booths in the 2019-2020 academic year.

The Department does not collect or record information about schools’ use of isolation.

Existing guidance makes clear that schools can adopt a policy which allows disruptive pupils to be placed in isolation away from other pupils for a limited period. The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-and-discipline-in-schools.

If a school uses isolation 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 all pupils.