Ben said he was often given no work, trivial tasks such as a word search, or work which was too hard – but not appropriate material which could occupy him for the full day.
This was despite Outwood Grange Academies Trust – which runs the school and 40 others in the north of England – changing its policies in 2019 to say that students should be given meaningful work. The trust had been threatened that year with a judicial review by a student who had spent 35 days in isolation.
If students slouch, lean against the walls or look around, they were given a warning, Ben said. He said if they failed to behave, they could be sent home – and would be forced to repeat the isolation the following day.
It would be “very rare” that he would get through a spell in isolation without a warning, Ben says. “If you stick a teenager in an isolated room all day not doing anything, they’re gonna just end up getting mad.”
Parents and students at the school said children have been sent into internal exclusion for having an untucked shirt, talking in class, asking to use the toilet, not having their blazer or asking to open a window.
Outwood Grange Academy said the amount of time students spent in reflection had been halved in the past year. “Reflection rooms are successful in improving behaviour,” it said.
The school said students are sometimes given word searches or other simple tasks initially to “de-escalate” their behaviour but once they are calm, they are given academic work. It said even seemingly minor incidents when repeated can disrupt classrooms, which was not fair to other students.
