Whitefield School abuse: Children’s Commissioner calls for formal review

The Children’s Commissioner has called for a formal review of the events that took place at Whitefield School in Walthamstow after new CCTV footage showed autistic children being abused while confined in isolation rooms.

Dame Rachel de Souza said that the experiences of these children are ‘appalling’ and no child should ever be physically restrained under such conditions and with such a lack of compassion, especially those who are so vulnerable.

She is launching a formal review to uncover where children who were so badly failed could have been kept safe and to better understand what is happening around the country regarding how calming rooms are used more broadly.

Over the next year, she will also be exploring what happens with safeguarding concerns when they do not meet the threshold for criminal prosecutions, as seems to be the case at Whitefield School. In particular, this will look at the role of the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), for which early scoping discussions with the Department for Education and Ofsted are underway.

It comes as a spokesperson for the prime minister said the abuse was  “horrendous” and “must never happen again”.

3 years ago I began investigating abuse in so-called calming rooms at Whitefield special school – after 500 hours of CCTV was discovered

Now I’ve obtained the footage – children are pushed into rooms, pinned up against walls with rugby pads and left in vomit pic.twitter.com/WnuRwlO2rK

— Noel Titheradge (@NoelTitheradge) November 26, 2024

‘Organised abuse’ at Whitefield School

Whitefield School had over 300 pupils aged between three and 19, many of whom have severe or complex needs and are unable to communicate verbally.

In 2021, a police investigation was launched into “organised abuse” at the special school after CCTV was discovered of pupils being physically assaulted and neglected. The videos, found by staff, show pupils being mistreated in padded seclusion rooms between 2014 and 2017.

This investigation ended earlier this year without any charges. As a result, six of the families agreed for footage to be shown by the BBC to reveal the scale and severity of the trauma their children had experienced.

Dame de Souza said: “Restraint against children should only ever be used when it is essential to keep a child safe. We need to look again at the guidance and regulation around restraint and so-called ‘calming rooms’ so that, when it is truly necessary, professions have much clearer understanding that it should be used only in the most serious cases and for the shortest time possible.

“We also need much earlier support available for children with these additional needs and vulnerabilities, and greater training for teachers in managing them, including how to de-escalate behaviours and reduce the need for restraint – as well as incidences of restraint to be better recorded so that families can be reassured professionals are held accountable for the quality of care their children receive.”

Failure to communicate with families

She added that one of her major concerns with this case is the failure to communicate well with parents and the failure to listen to children.

“The guidance around the use of isolation says that it should only happen in the most serious disciplinary situations and for the shortest time possible. We need to look more carefully at the guidance, given the confusion I hear from this case but also around the country, and to make sure people are absolutely clear about what is and isn’t allowed and why,” she said.

Families told the BBC their children developed PTSD after being placed in the calming rooms. One child’s family said he suffered severe psychological damage and was later detained in a mental hospital because he was at risk of harming himself.

Parents said they complained to the school about unexplained injuries and the use of the rooms – but this did not lead to investigation, even though the evidence from the CCTV cameras was available.

Too many abuse cases of autistic children

The National Autistic Society said they had seen far too many recent shocking examples of abuse of autistic children.

Mel Merritt, Head of Policy and Campaigns at the National Autistic Society, said: “The footage uncovered by BBC News is horrific and absolutely heartbreaking. Imagine how scared and unsupported these children must have felt. The people involved in this must be held accountable, and the families and all autistic people need to see that things have changed.

“There are more than 200,000 school-age autistic children in England. When they’re at school, they deserve dignity, respect and support from staff who are equipped to meet their needs. Whatever a child’s behaviour, wherever they’re at school, there is no excuse for abuse.”

Anyone who has been affected by the cases at Whitefield School or would like further support or advice can contact Help at Hand: childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/help-at-hand.

Alison Bloomer

Alison Bloomer is Editor of Learning Disability Today. She has over 25 years of experience writing for medical journals and trade publications. Subjects include healthcare, pharmaceuticals, disability, insurance, stock market and emerging technologies. She is also a mother to a gorgeous 13-year-old boy who has a learning disability.

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