Ten families are suing a special school in north London after CCTV footage emerged showing their autistic children being locked inside padded rooms, which they describe as "inhumane." The alleged abuse at Whitefield Special School, involving children with mental disorders or learning disabilities, occurred between 2014 and 2017.
Footage obtained by the BBC depicted children being pushed into padded rooms, restrained by the neck, and thrown onto the floor. In some instances, children were left isolated in their own waste, and one 12-year-old boy was reportedly held in these rooms for over 55 hours across multiple incidents. Some children were also observed self-harming while secluded for extended periods.
While a three-year police investigation by the Met Police led to no charges, internal school investigations by an HR consultant found that six employees were proven to have abused 39 pupils. Despite recommendations for referrals to the Disclosure and Barring Service, no staff members were sacked, and one referral was not made.
Flourish Learning Trust, the former operator of the school, stated that these "calming rooms" have not been used since 2017. New leadership at the school discovered the CCTV footage in May 2021, prompting the police investigation.
Legal firm Leigh Day has initiated a civil lawsuit against the trust and Waltham Forest local authority on behalf of the affected families. The firm described the school's use of the rooms as "barbaric" and claimed their children's human rights were breached, alleging false imprisonment. Alison Millar, who is leading the case, told the BBC that the impact of the harm inflicted on these children continues to affect families daily.
A review by Waltham Forest concluded that seclusion and restraint had become "normalised" at the school, and a culture that permitted "pejorative views of non-compliant children" had emerged. Parents described the methods used as "inhumane" and "unimaginable."
Documents reviewed by the BBC also indicated that Whitefield staff did not consistently record when pupils used seclusion rooms. One report detailed a child, David Gloria, spending three hours in a room where he cried 38 times and repeatedly asked to leave, expressing confusion about why he was there. His father, Ricardo, claims no changes have been made to prevent future abuse, and that families have been abandoned.
The Department for Education has strengthened safeguards, introducing a legal duty for schools to record and report all incidents of seclusion and restraint to parents. However, families argue these measures are insufficient. A Department for Education spokesperson called the events at Whitefield "horrific" and a "serious failure," vowing to act to prevent similar incidents. Waltham Forest council stated they would not comment further due to the ongoing legal action.