Becky Gillespie

Huge thanks to @KeithCooper1973 and @theipaper for exposing the lack of meaningful, timely action by the @educationgovuk to protect disabled children in our schools from unnecessary harm. @bphillipsonMP

Community is everything in this work. We are so grateful for the allies, advocates, families, survivors, professionals, and organisations we are in community with. This work is hard, but it is made stronger by people who keep showing up, sharing, supporting, and standing alongside children and families. Happy Friday, and thank you to this incredible community of changemakers. ❤️

BIG NEWS! An important legal challenge has just been issued against the Government’s #SENDreform consultation. It argues it's unlawful & unfair, failing to provide sufficient information or ask key questions. We fully support Jessica & Melissa’s claim rookirwinsweeney.co.uk/legal-challeng…

Helena Eckles, 53, who had taught at Hall Cliffe Primary School, Wakefield, (Witherslack Group) since November 2023, was convicted at Leeds Magistrates Court for "assault by beating" in March last year, and has now been prohibited from teaching. #AgainstRestraint independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-n…

ICARS’ first United Nations evidence submission is now open. We are collecting photographic evidence of injuries and related harm associated with restraint, seclusion, isolation, removal rooms, physical intervention, guiding, mechanical restraint, and other restrictive practices in schools across England. This evidence will support ICARS’ submission to the United Nations on disability discrimination, safeguarding failures, and the use of restraint, seclusion, and isolation in education. The form is voluntary, non-identifying, and designed to protect children’s identities. Face, eye, or head injuries may still be submitted where needed. ICARS will crop, blur, or obscure identifying features before use unless explicit consent is given otherwise. Most questions are multiple choice or checkboxes. The form should take around 10 to 15 minutes to complete. Submissions close 31 May 2026. Your evidence matters. Their future. Our collective responsibility. Submit evidence through the QR code on the image or through the link in the comments. #AgainstRestraint #SEND #DisabilityRights #UNCRC #UNCRPD

SAN ANTONIO - A Judson ISD mother says her son was assaulted by two staff members at Kirby Middle School. The mother claims she received a phone call about a month ago telling her that her special needs son in the 6th grade was restrained at school. But when her son came home from school she learned there was more to the story. news4sanantonio.com/news/local/mot…

Justice Department launches probes into 36 Illinois school districts. The report said the office failed to enter resolution agreements in typically major areas of investigation such as sexual harassment and assault, restraint and seclusion for students with disabilities, racial harassment and school discipline disparities. k12dive.com/news/justice-d…

This one is of particular interest. Two years ago, ICARS spoke with London Fire Brigade investigators about seclusion rooms and fire safety regulations in schools across England. They were extremely helpful, took the time to speak with us, and provided information that will also be included in ICARS’ submission to the United Nations. ROCKTON — A deputy Brockton fire chief sounded an alarm over a "time-out" room at the Downey school that he described as a "converted closet" in a politely worded but scathing email to the superintendent of schools in December 2025. enterprisenews.com/story/news/edu…

@SendCrisis @AndyNelson1977 @educationgovuk @Keir_Starmer @downingstreet @bphillipsonMP @Georgia_Gould And how about those kids who have caring and/or other responsibilities? Life is so much more nuanced than this 'exam factory at all costs' belief system allows.

At @educationgovuk @Keir_Starmer @downingstreet @bphillipsonMP @Georgia_Gould Is this behaviour of the Michaela School acceptable? It’s certainly not inclusive? How will SEND children cope with policies such as this from supposedly expert head teacher?

A sneak peak at “Let the Record Show.” Coming soon 🎉

Reading this all I can think is that the blatant discrimination, resulting in harmful practices, which is baked into and widely acknowledged in England's education sector is simply horrifying. #AgainstRestraint #DyingForAnEducation

Too many of our children harmed at school with no accountability. 'Maria added the decision to take no further action was a "desperate reflection of how as a society we treat our vulnerable people."' BBC News - Children's home abuse investigation closed bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

A pretty damning letter from the @ChildLawCentre SEND provision in NI continues to be stretched beyond capacity. Schools are committed, but without sufficient time, space, staffing and specialist training, even the best frameworks risk falling short in practice. Without adequate, sustained funding, meaningful implementation isn’t achievable, especially with poor building stock across the region. Working with pupils and families who have been in the system has been an eye opener - it really is a war of attrition for some. Real change requires real investment and challenging conversations.

“In the Name of Discipline” In England’s schools: Life-threatening restraints used for “good order and discipline.” Children and families are already paying the price. It is time for Keir Starmer and the Westminster Government to prohibit life-threatening restraint of children in law. Watch. Share. Don’t look away. #AgainstRestraint

Wolverhampton - England Nursery fined and staff member jailed over death of toddler restrained during nap time. #BanLifeThreateningRestraints bbc.com/news/live/cg40…

In the Name of Discipline #AgainstRestraint

Questions grow over seclusion rooms in Oklahoma schools as Stillwater district is targeted #AgainstRestraint okcfox.com/news/local/que…

The Yukon government issued a formal apology on April 9 for the improper use of holds, restraints and seclusion at Whitehorse’s Jack Hulland Elementary School, acknowledging years of harm and a failure to protect students. The apology, delivered in the legislature, follows a court-approved settlement in November last year for more than 1,2000 former students who attended the school between 2007 and 2022. yukon-news.com/2026/04/09/yuk…

A Missouri school district focused on special education restrains and secludes its students excessively and improperly, in “gross violation” of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a U.S. Department of Justice investigation has found. #AgainstRestraint edweek.org/teaching-learn…

In order to truly encourage attendance stands to reason schools must become more accessible to the vulnerable. The outcomes of @woodsgolem largely ignored Mossbourne inquiry must be closely considered within the sector as a matter of urgency with lessons learnt widely applied.

England - A child was restrained 117 times in just over a year. The court reduced damages to £6,000, limited to three incidents considered “unreasonable.” This followed an appeal by the charity that operates the school, after which the court narrowed liability to just three restraint incidents. The public is entitled to scrutinise how organisations responsible for children respond when harm is challenged. This is not just a legal outcome. It is a reflection of the system. In England, damages are tightly constrained. They are compensatory, guided by precedent, and rarely reflect the scale of systemic harm. In the United States, similar cases engage federal and state disability and civil rights law, jury trials, and punitive damages. That framework can produce substantially higher awards, particularly where repeated restraint is involved. That difference matters. Because in England damages are minimal, and therefore the system absorbs harm as routine. When harm is assessed incident by incident, the pattern disappears. Frequency becomes normalized. Systems are validated. Accountability narrows. 117 restraints is not a series of isolated events. It is a system operating as designed. Safeguarding cannot be measured only at the margins of what is deemed “unreasonable.” It must examine the totality. England's education system is still operating in the dark ages. #AgainstRestraint fakta.co/student-restra…