Parents sue special school after their autistic children were shoved and locked inside padded 'inhumane calming rooms'

By SHANNON MCGUIGAN, NEWS REPORTER Published: 02:07, 1 August 2026 | Updated: 02:10, 1 August 2026 Parents are suing a special school after CCTV footage revealed their autistic children were being locked inside 'inhumane' padded rooms. Ten families have alleged their children, who had mental disorders or learning disabilities, were harmed in treatment rooms at Whitefield Special School in north London. Footage recorded between 2014 and 2017, obtained by the BBC, showed children being pushed into padded rooms, restrained by the neck, thrown onto the floor - and even left isolated in their own sick. Some children could be seen self-harming while left in the padded 'calming rooms' for hours on end - and one 12-year-old boy was shown in CCTV footage to be in the rooms for more than 55 hours over several separate incidents. Police repeatedly provided information to the Crown Prosecution Service as part of a three-year investigation, but no one was charged over the findings at one of the UK's largest special schools. School investigations, written by an HR consultant hired by the educational facility, found that six employees were proven on the balance of probabilities to have abused 39 pupils, many of whom were non-verbal, between 2014 and 2017. There was at least one referral recommendation to the Disclosure and Barring Service, but it was not made. No staff members were sacked as a result of the review.   Flourish Learning Trust, which previously ran the school, said calming rooms have not been used at the school since 2017. Parents are suing a special school after shocking CCTV footage (pictured) revealed their autistic children were being locked inside padded rooms  One of the children, Ashley, is said to have featured in 55 hours of footage captured by CCTV CCTV footage was later discovered by new leadership at the school in May 2021, prompting a three-year criminal investigation by the Met Police. No charges were ever brought.   Now, legal firm Leigh Day has launched a civil legal challenge against the trust as well as its local authority, Waltham Forest, on behalf of several families. Its clients have described the school's use of the rooms as 'barbaric', claiming their children had their human rights breached and that they were falsely imprisoned. Alison Millar, who is heading the case, told the BBC: 'What was done to these children was profoundly harmful, and its impact continues to be felt by families every day.' It comes as Waltham Forest concluded seclusion and restraint had become 'normalised' at the school in their long-delayed review. The report also found a culture had emerged which permitted 'pejorative views of non-compliant children'. It also added that parents were clear in their descriptions of methods being both 'inhumane' and 'unimaginable'. Meanwhile, the broadcaster also claims there is evidence of mistreatment in other seclusion rooms in UK schools. CCTV, seen by the BBC from other schools, allegedly shows a boy being 'unlawfully' and 'brutally' restrained as well as an autistic child being caged. Seclusion rooms are used in many special schools outside of classrooms and are meant to help with challenging behaviours or sensory needs of children. Whitefield is one of the largest special schools in the UK with about 370 pupils David Gloria is pictured next to his father, Ricardo, who is also a police office. Ricardo claimed no changes had been made to stop abuse happening again at Whitefield And while the Department of Education has not introduced mandatory CCTV in such rooms, as is required with nurseries, it has introduced requirements, meaning the use of seclusion must be reported and recorded. However, the families of children who attended Whitefield say these guidelines fall far too short - and would not stop similar types of abuse happening in the future. Documents, also seen by the broadcaster, show Whitefield's staff did not record when some pupils used the seclusion room. A report of David Gloria's time in the room, where he spent three hours, said he cried on 38 different occasions and repeatedly asked to leave. It was recorded that he said that he did not 'understand' why he was in the room and that he was 'confused'. His father, Ricardo, has alleged no changes had been made to stop abuse happening again at Whitefield, claiming that families and their traumatised children have been abandoned. 'The extended delays have hindered justice for the children who suffered unfair treatment at Whitefield School over the years,' he said. 'It is crucial that some form of justice and a rehabilitation plan are established for the victims and their families.' Meanwhile, Jacqui Shurlock, the chief executive of the charity Challenging Behaviour Foundation, has urged the DfE to act immediately to prevent abuse in the future.  She insisted the government department had 'not taken sufficient action' to bring an end to such rooms. It is understood the DfE has introduced revised guidance on seclusion rooms and that there will be a response to Waltham Forest's safeguarding review. The guidance includes specific advice on determining when the use of restrictive interventions, including seclusion, may be appropriate and necessary. Ricardo also showed the BBC this reports, which states that within 25 minutes of being in the room, David began crying and questioning why he was there A Department for Education spokesperson said: 'What happened at Whitefield was horrific, and a serious failure to protect children who needed it most. They deserved so much better, and we recognise the lasting impact this will have on them and their families. 'We have already strengthened safeguards for pupils, including through a new legal duty for schools to record and report to parents all incidents of seclusion and restraint. 'We will carefully consider the report's findings and won't hesitate to act to help prevent incidents like this ever happening again.' A Waltham Forest council spokesperson said: 'We are aware of the civil legal action led by Leigh Day. We will not be commenting further while legal action is ongoing.'  Flourish Learning Trust ran the school when the footage was found. They said that they no longer manage any schools and that no one from the previous leadership remained.  A spokesperson told the BBC: 'Whitefield School itself is now being run by a different trust which supports the outcomes from the review and has been working hard to transform the school and give every pupil the care, dignity and support they rightfully deserve.'  The Daily Mail has approached Flourish Learning Trust for comment.