Exposing Abuse: The BBC School Prison Cells Documentary and the Fight for Inclusive Education

The BBC’s Caught on Camera: The special school staff who abused kids broadcast on Radio 4’s “File on Four” in April and May 2024, and featured on the BBC news and iPlayer documentary School prison cells in November 2024, revealed the harrowing CCTV footage of Disabled children and young people being subjected to abuse and torture in so-called “calming rooms” in a special school in North-East London. The abuse was fully uncovered in 2021 and has shown that, despite numerous similar exposures over the years, the culture of subjecting Disabled people to inhumane treatments and torture persists. 

The Alliance for Inclusive Education (ALLFIE), has campaigned for years against the evils of institutionalisation represented by special schools and their systemic violations of Disabled children’s fundamental human rights. 

In this co-written article, the authors present a critical analysis of the issues raised in the documentary from various perspectives. The article challenges policy makers, politicians and society at large including other social justice movements, stressing why this must not be allowed to continue and must be called what it is – a fundamental and serious breach of Disabled people’s human rights, violence and torture.  

The documentary lays bare the cruel reality faced by many Disabled children in segregated educational settings, where practices framed as “restraint” or “behaviour management” often amount to abuse and torture. A recent Inclusion Now article  contended that the government report, Reasonable force, restraint & restrictive practices in alternative provision and special schools, reinforces ALLFIE’s position that segregated settings are spaces ripe for the abuse of Disabled people’s human rights and should not be tolerated by society.  Our ‘End torture of Disabled people’ campaign continues to demonstrate that abuse in institutions and segregated settings not only contravenes basic human decency, but violates the very laws and conventions meant to protect Disabled children’s rights. This includes their right to education, dignity, and freedom from inhumane treatment. 

The Documentary shows that Disabled children and young people were often left in so-called ‘calming’ rooms for hours daily. The children and young people were neglected, alone, pushed into these rooms sometimes naked and without food. In all, 39 families were affected. The 17 interviewed by the BBC were not involved in decisions about their children being isolated in these rooms for hours. Those who spoke on the programme talked about their disgust and trauma when they discovered what had happened to their children. 

There are several Human and Education Rights being violated from what the documentary showed: 

• Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”. Disabled children and Young people in the documentary were clearly subjected to this. They were neglected, naked and even allowed to self-harm (as shown in the footage).  

• Furthermore, Article 15 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) states “no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”.  Article 15(2) enjoins state parties to take all effective legislative, administrative, judicial or other measures to prevent Disabled persons, on an equal basis with others, from being subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.  

• Whilst  UN Conventions ratified by the UK cannot be legally enforced in this country, although they are of very persuasive value in legal proceedings, Article 3 of the Human Rights Act -(the right to be free from torture and inhuman or degrading treatment), can be enforced. As explained by the British Institute of Human Rights, this right can be divided into two parts; the right to be free from torture and the right to be free from inhuman and degrading treatment.  

• The right to be free from torture: Under the law, torture has a very specific definition. Torture is an act performed by someone who works for government or a public authority in which they deliberately cause severe physical or mental suffering to someone for a specific purpose, for example, to get information.  

• The right to be free from inhuman and degrading treatment: Inhuman or degrading treatment, on the other hand, doesn’t have to be deliberate or for a purpose – it can be caused by neglect. This is especially relevant in everyday life and the experiences people may have in health, care or education settings, social services, and with the police or emergency services. This is how the perpetrators of these acts should have been held accountable. At the time of writing, no action has been taken against any of the perpetrators. The children and Young people were neglected, degraded, and were physically and psychologically harmed. This is where other social justice movements and Human Rights organisations would have been needed. 

It is only hoped that in the future, mainstream social justice organisations will take up these cases and ensure that, working in conjunction with lived experienced organisations like ALLFIE and Disabled People’s Organisations, institutions that violate the human rights of Disabled people will be held accountable for their actions and justice will be served. Sadly, as one expert in the footage said; the effect of placing these children in the rooms are psychological and lifelong. A parent in the documentary attributed suicidal behaviour her son developed later in life as a direct consequence of his experience being locked up for hours in those ‘calming’ rooms.  

We saw on the BBC TV coverage that the Disabled children and Young people were often locked up in these so-called ‘calming rooms’ for hours daily. This will mean in those daily long hours they have been denied their fundamental human right to education.  ALLFIE only supports an Inclusive Education system in mainstream educational settings as enshrined in Article 24 of the UNCRPD, however all children have the right to a quality education, enshrined in Article 28 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). In addition, the right to education is protected by Article 2 Protocol 1 of the Human Rights Act. This protects our right to an effective education within the UK’s existing educational institutions. It relates to primary, secondary, and higher education.  

A very important observation we made when writing this article, is that many of the detained and tortured children and young people do not use words to speak, even though they could very well communicate their unhappiness about their treatment. The implications were the school operators felt very comfortable violating their human rights and dignity by shoving them into what the BBC described as prison cells. Some of what the authorities perceived as challenging behaviour stemmed from the school not understanding how to support children and young people who communicate differently. This should be basic good practice, and providing alternative communication is a human right as described in Article 24. 

The problem is systemic, rooted in the lack of self-determination granted to Disabled children and Young people in segregated environments. At present, Disabled children and Young people have little to no influence over the decisions that shape their educational experiences. Current Youth Parliaments fail to represent their voices. ALLFIE is working to change this by establishing a Youth Parliament specifically for Young Disabled people; creating a platform where they can use their voices to express their requirements, desires, concerns, and can campaign to influence those in decision making authority and their representatives in Parliament. 

The solution is clear; segregation must be abolished in all its forms. Inclusive Education is not just about being in the same classroom, it’s about creating an educational environment that addresses systemic barriers within the curriculum and other areas of the system. Opportunities are embraced where all children and Young people can form friendships, support one another, and grow together. It is about fostering mutual respect, understanding, and equity in every aspect of education. 

The harm and trauma caused by segregation doesn’t only dehumanise the Young people in these settings; it also desensitizes staff, leading to a cycle of dehumanisation that results in abuse and harm. If we continue to separate Disabled children and Young people, denying them self-determination, and isolate staff in these environments, abuse and harm will persist. 

ALLFIE will not advocate for better practice in special or segregated schools or settings, it is not about reforming those spaces. It is about implementing a complete Inclusive Education system with measurable evidence embedded in Article 24 of the UNCRPD. ALLFIE’s Manifesto provides a plan and solution based on social justice and human rights principles, and we demand a complete incorporation of an Inclusive Education approach based on Article 24 into the UK’s education framework. 

The BBC programme and news coverage is a stark reminder of the urgent need for change. It is not enough to express outrage; we must channel it into action. The abuse of Disabled children in special schools is a societal failure that reflects deep-rooted ableism, other discriminatory practices, and neglect.