Eastbourne MP urges Prime Minister to protect disabled schoolchildren from physical abuse on special school transport

At Prime Minister’s Questions this week, Eastbourne Lib Dem MP Josh Babarinde urged the Prime Minister to take action in the case of a local boy with special needs, Lewis (a pseudonym for legal reasons) who was left traumatised and bruised after being physically restrained by his passenger assistant (PA) on school transport.

The boy’s mother only discovered what had happened when he returned home visibly distressed and she later found bruising on his body.

Mr Babarinde expressed shock that there is currently no statutory requirement to report incidents of physical restraint on home-to-school transport back to parents or carers. 

The Eastbourne MP also expressed disgust that there are currently no national training standards for use of restraint on home-to-school transport, whereas there are more standards within school itself. 

Mr Babarinde urged the Prime Minister to “address this loophole in the Government’s upcoming special educational needs and disability (SEND) reforms, so that SEND children can travel to school with the safety and dignity they deserve.”

In response, the Prime Minister said that “incidents like this should not be happening” and reaffirmed that “every child should have tailored support, including transport to school”. He added that “that principle will be central to their reforms.”

Speaking after the Commons exchange, Mr Babarinde said - 

“No child should be subjected to abuse at the hands of those responsible for their care and safety. 

The Government must urgently force all school transport providers to report any incident of physical restraint to parents and carers, and they must introduce national standards for use of physical restraint on school transport without delay.