Parents sue school over 'inhumane' calming rooms after BBC report
Summary
Parents of children with learning disabilities are suing a special school in London after a BBC investigation showed autistic children being locked in calming rooms and mistreated. Ten families claim their children were harmed, and a police investigation years ago ended without charges. The school is now under new management and says it has learned from past mistakes.Key Facts
- The BBC got CCTV footage showing children in calming rooms at Whitefield special school being locked inside and abused.
- Ten families are suing the school and local council, claiming their children’s human rights were violated.
- The footage was recorded between 2014 and 2017 but only came to light in 2021.
- Police investigated but did not press charges.
- The calming rooms are meant to help children with sensory or behavioral challenges but were misused, showing children being forcibly restrained and left alone in distress.
- A review found that harsh restraint and seclusion had become normal and parents described the treatment as inhumane.
- Other UK schools showed evidence of similar mistreatment in seclusion rooms.
- The Department for Education introduced rules requiring recording and reporting seclusion use but has not required CCTV in these rooms.
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