Equalities watchdog launches inquiry into pupil restraint in schools amid concerns from parents

Children with special needs are being injured, writes Eleanor Busby

Local authorities are failing to find secondary school places for children with special needs (Getty)

Schools will be investigated by the equalities watchdog over their use of physical restraint following widespread concerns about the “traumatic” impact on children.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has launched a formal inquiry into how schools are monitoring and recording the use of restraint to ensure methods are used appropriately in classrooms.

There is almost no official data on how and when restraint is used in schools even though techniques can be “distressing” to children and can undermine their learning, the watchdog has said.