Physical restraint in schools: What you need to know
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 130 No 7, 3 October 2025, page no 27.
As a teacher, your first instinct is to create a safe and supportive classroom. But sometimes, despite the best planning, situations escalate.
A student may become a danger to themselves or others, and you’re left with very limited options. Sometimes, situations escalate to a point where someone could get hurt. And in those moments, you might need to use physical restraint.
When that happens, your actions will be under the microscope. Parents, school leadership and possibly even external agencies will want to know exactly what you did, why you did it and whether you followed procedure.
At a glance
The Department of Education recognises three restrictive practices in schools:
- Seclusion — putting a student alone in a space they can’t leave.
- Physical restraint — using your body to stop a student moving.
- Containment — restricting a student’s movement with barriers.
Often, these practices are set out in a student’s individual plan. If that’s the case, the parent has already given consent, and your responsibility is simply to follow the plan as written.
However, there will be times when restrictive practices, especially physical restraint, have to be used in a genuine emergency, where no individual plan is in place. In these situations, the department’s policy makes it clear all three can only be used when there is an immediate risk of harm and no less restrictive alternative will work. They are always a last resort.
The rules
Physical restraint means using your body to stop a student’s movement, for example holding a student’s arms to stop them hitting someone or blocking their body to prevent running into traffic.
The department’s procedure sets clear conditions:
- Immediate risk only — restraint is lawful where there’s a serious and imminent threat of harm to the student or others — a chair thrown, a punch about to land, a dash across a busy road.
- Shortest time possible — you let go the moment the danger has passed. Prolonged holding is not allowed.
- Safe methods only — never use techniques that could restrict breathing, cause pain or put pressure on joints or the neck.
- Respect and dignity — the student’s wellbeing must remain front of mind. Restraint must never be used as punishment, discipline or simply because a student is being defiant.
If restraint is used outside these boundaries, you may be exposed to complaints of excessive force, misconduct or even assault.
Documentation and reporting
This is where many teachers trip up. You might be tempted to move on quickly once the dust has settled. Don’t. The paperwork is your shield, and is a requirement of the policy.
After any restraint, you must:
- Notify leadership — your principal (or delegate) needs to know straight away. You can do this by completing a OneSchool record and flagging it for the principal’s attention.
- The principal or school leader must call parents — the policy is clear that parents/carers must be told on the same day, ideally as soon as possible. This is to ensure that an accurate report of the incident is given to the parents, rather than relying on the student’s recollection of the event.
- Complete an incident report the same day — clearly describe the harm you were seeking to prevent —student harming themselves, student harming another student, student harming you or another staff member. Keep your description factual — “placed a hand on student’s shoulder”, “guided student off the table”, “placed an open hand on the student’s arm while removing scissors”. Include the verbal directions you gave. Even if you only had time to say “stop”, make sure you include that.
So, when writing up an incident, make sure you include:
- Concern for harm — clearly state what the immediate risk was (to the student, another student, or staff).
- Verbal directions — explain what you tried first, such as giving clear instructions or de-escalation attempts.
- Minimum physical restraint — record what you did physically, how long it lasted, and that you released as soon as the danger passed.
If challenged later, this record shows that you acted lawfully, reasonably and in line with departmental policy.
Seclusion and containment
- Seclusion: Must be supervised at all times, kept as short as possible and reported with immediate parent notification.
- Containment: Rare, and usually tied to an individualised plan. Same rules: shortest time possible, documented, and parents told immediately.
These practices exist in the procedure, but they are far less common in day-to-day classrooms than restraint.
Protecting yourself
The reality is, when things escalate, you won’t have time to pull out the policy and read it. So, here’s the mindset to keep you safe:
- Is there an immediate risk of harm to any person? If not, don’t restrain.
- Avoid dangerous holds, use an open hand and guiding motion (never grabbing or dragging), and release as soon as possible.
- Paperwork is non-negotiable and will be your protection from exaggerated complaints.