The Children's Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, has raised concerns that schools are converting toilet cubicles into isolation booths to discipline disruptive pupils. She described the practice as 'degrading' and warned that children are being kept away from classmates for extended periods, sometimes weeks at a time.
Longfield cited a school that repurposed a toilet section into isolation booths, noting that the existing cubicles made the conversion convenient. She also mentioned a case where a cardboard booth was placed over a child wherever they were sitting in the classroom. Critics argue that such isolation can harm pupils' mental health and fail to address underlying behavioural issues.
The Centre for Mental Health charity warned that exclusion and seclusion could exacerbate the effects of traumatic home experiences, potentially worsening challenging behaviour. A BBC News investigation found that in 2017, over 200 pupils in English schools spent at least five consecutive days in isolation.
Advocates of isolation maintain it is a practical way to prevent disruption to other pupils. A Department for Education spokesperson stated that schools may use in-school units as sanctions, but emphasised that isolation must comply with safeguarding requirements and be as constructive as possible, with pupils not kept longer than necessary.
