§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the guidance he gives on the physical contact appropriate between teachers and primary school children. [162130]
§ Margaret HodgeMy Department does not give guidance specifically about physical contact between teachers and primary school children. However, my Department's Circular 10/98: "Section 550A of the Education Act 1996: The Use of Force to Control or Restrain Pupils", which gives guidance about the right of teacher's to use reasonable force to control or restrain pupils in certain circumstances, also includes advice about physical contact with pupils in other circumstances. The Circular points out that there is a variety of circumstances in which physical contact with a pupil may be appropriate or necessary: that teachers need to exercise their professional judgment about this, and