‘Harmful’ special educational needs school where children were locked in 'chill-out' rooms

ITV News Central Education Correspondent Peter Bearne reports on the school where children were locked in a secure 'chill-out' room against their will

A special educational needs school has been described as inadequate after an Ofsted inspection revealed children were locked in a secure 'chill-out' room against their will. 

The revelations also include teachers at Derrymount school in Nottinghamshire defending the practice of detainment as a way to "protect pupils from themselves and others".

Stephanie Ince-Tivey, from Daybrook, says she was not surprised with what the inspectors' found.

Her 12-year-old son Tristan is autistic and she withdrew him from the school after an incident in April, which, she claims, saw him restrained by four adults.

She said: "It was devastating, you send him somewhere for him to be safe but they just clearly don't know how to deal with children, that they're specifically there to look after."

She described the chill-out room as "diabolical", adding: "It isn't a chill-out room, there was no way a child can relax in that room - it's a cell for putting in people when you cannot control them."

The Ofsted report also detailed how some pupils said that being placed in this room is very distressing.

It also revealed racist and misogynistic language is used by older pupils and isn’t challenged by staff when used towards other pupils.

Girls are often victims of the sexist and derogatory language from boys and, consequently, girls do not always like being at school.

According to the nine-page document, staff do not always help students when they’re struggling with their emotions in an appropriate way.

It read: "Staff are too reliant on short-term methods, such as physical restraint and the chill-out room for some pupils.

"These strategies are sometimes harmful to some pupils’ dignity, safety and emotional well-being."

The inspection went on to find that leaders don't monitor the frequency of, and reasons behind, poor behaviour, going as far as to suggest staff are not able to 'respond to support' with the right measures to help with pupils' behavioural needs.

In the section detailing what the school does and doesn't do well, it said: "Leaders and those responsible for governance are not taking effective steps to support pupils to behave well.

"Leaders do not routinely review and update pupils' risk assessments each time a pupil is restrained and placed in the chill-out room.

"There is little evidence to demonstrate that the use of restraint and the chill-out room is always in pupils' best interests or having a positive effect on pupils' behaviour."

To add a further blow to the reputation of the establishment, the inspection found that the quality of education across the school was inconsistent.

But not everybody has had a bad experience at the school - Natalie Hatton, from Eastwood, says her son Heath, who's autistic, thrived there and is now at college.

He says he went into the "chill out" room willingly, when he was suffering from sensory overload.

He said: "That room was like a nice little enclosed space where I could just go and get away from it all and calm down."

Natallie Hatton was really pleased with how safe the school was when her son attended.

She said: "The internal doors are locked and Heath was a flight risk, so I knew he was safe. When I dropped him off he was there, he was fine, he was monitored and he was watched."

The headteacher of Derrymount school said she was "extremely disappointed" by the report.

She said: "Young people are not placed alone in rooms as a sanction of any kind, and the safety and wellbeing of all pupils is of utmost importance.

"We take the findings extremely seriously and actions to improve standards in the school are already underway."

Nottinghamshire County Council, which runs the school, said its officers were now working with it to address the safeguarding issues raised.

The Department for Education has also ordered the council to find an academy to take over the running of the school.

Peter McConnochie, Service Director for Education, Learning and Inclusion, at Nottinghamshire County Council said that following the OFSTED report at Derrymount School, officers from the authority had been working closely with the Headteacher and governors to address the issues identified in the report.

“This is a disappointing outcome, previously, Derrymount was rated as a Good school, and as a result did not require any additional school improvement support from the local authority.

“Following the recent OFSTED inspection, county council officers have addressed the safeguarding issues that have been raised and a support plan is now in place to offer further support over the coming months this includes ensuring that the use of a calming space to support a child who becomes emotionally distressed or overwhelmed is a positive intervention.

“The local authority acknowledges that the use of calming spaces should be monitored and analysed as part of the school’s approach to supporting a pupil’s behavioural needs and the school’s approach to behavioural management.

“An academy order has now been issued following the Inadequate rating. The local authority will work closely with the DfE’s Regional Director to seek an academy sponsor over the coming months."

Cathy Clay, Derrymount School headteacher, said “We are extremely disappointed by the findings of the recent Ofsted report.

“I want to reassure our parents, carers and the wider school community that the safety and wellbeing of all pupils is of utmost importance. We take the findings extremely seriously and actions to improve standards in the school are already underway.

“We use a wide range of strategies to support young people when they are dysregulated, including sensory activities, movement breaks and the use of outdoor spaces. If a young person uses an individual room away from other pupils, a member of staff is always either in the room with them or at the doorway supporting them to return to their class as soon as possible. Young people are not placed alone in rooms as a sanction of any kind and we would always act to keep pupils safe, following strict guidelines.

“The inspection report cited incidents of racist, sexist and misogynistic language, we recognise that these occurrences can happen and as a school we ensure they are always addressed, this does not always take place immediately as it may escalate a situation, however it is followed up with the child soon. All pupils at the school will continue to develop their understanding of healthy relationship and mutual respect through their timetabled relationship education.

“Our improvement plan has been agreed with the local authority and some immediate actions taken include additional staff training and further development work to improve pupils’ understanding of issues around equality.

“We recognise there is work to be done at the school and we are not complacent about the challenges we face to turn things around.

“The pupils, their safety, wellbeing and education are our top priorities, and we are committed to urgently raising standards and rectifying concerns. With the help of the local authority, we will continue to make the necessary changes and ensure our progress is effective.”