More Pupils Being Sent to Isolation Rooms Across England, Study Finds
A new study by the University of Manchester has revealed that a significant proportion of secondary school pupils in England are regularly being placed in “isolation rooms”. According to research published in the British Educational Research Journal, 8.3 per cent of pupils – roughly one in twelve – spend more than eight hours a week in these “isolation rooms”, equivalent to losing more than a full school day of lessons.
The isolation room practice involves temporarily removing pupils who break school rules or disrupt lessons and placing them alone in a separate room away from their peers.
The research was conducted as part of the #BeeWell programme, involving 34,000 pupils across 121 schools. Findings show that students with special educational needs are more than twice as likely to be placed in isolation, while those eligible for free school meals are 1.5 times more likely. Black, Asian and mixed-heritage pupils are also subjected to isolation at higher rates than their white peers.
Experts warn that prolonged isolation can damage pupils’ sense of belonging, weaken relationships with teachers and negatively affect their mental health. Neil Humphrey from the University of Manchester acknowledged the importance of school discipline but stressed that “isolation is not the answer; investment in restorative approaches and mental health support is needed.”