"As soon as possible" is the line many parents will notice first. Under the Restraint and Seclusion in Schools (Scotland) Act 2026, Scotland has now put on the statute book a clear framework for when pupils are physically restrained or isolated in school, including a duty that will require schools to tell home quickly when it happens. According to legislation.gov.uk, the Bill passed the Scottish Parliament on 24 March 2026 and received Royal Assent on 26 May 2026. It is the kind of Holyrood law that can look technical on paper but lands in very practical territory for families, headteachers and public services: what schools can do in a crisis, who is told, what is written down and how ministers are expected to keep watch.

The Act starts by spelling out what counts. It says "restraint" means physical contact by a member of staff intended to significantly restrict a pupil's movement, freedom of movement or ability to move independently. "Seclusion" means action intended to isolate a pupil from other pupils and prevent them from leaving the place where they are being kept. That matters because rows in this area usually begin with definitions. The law also makes clear that staff includes anyone acting under the authority of an education provider, and its reach covers council-run schools, independent schools and grant-aided schools, but not nursery schools or nursery classes. Scottish Ministers can later amend the definitions by regulations, after consultation, if they need to avoid sweeping up low-risk actions or to catch other practices that carry a significant risk of harm.

Ministers are now under a duty to issue guidance to education providers, and the Act is unusually plain about what that guidance must deal with. It must cover what does and does not count as restraint, appropriate and inappropriate practice, alternatives to restraint and seclusion, steps to reduce their use, safeguarding, legal duties, what happens after an incident, complaints, inspection, staff training and the recording and monitoring of incidents. Before that guidance is issued or revised, ministers must consult education providers, bodies representing parents, relevant trade unions, children and young people, the Commissioner for Children and Young People in Scotland, and any voluntary organisations or others they consider appropriate. The guidance can also make different provision for different providers or schools. Once it is published, education providers must have regard to it, so the working rulebook will not end with the wording of the Act itself.

For parents, the biggest change is on notification. Where a pupil is subject to restraint or seclusion, the responsible person for the school must inform the parent that it happened and give details of the incident. The deadline is as soon as possible and, in any event, by the end of the same school day unless that is not reasonably practicable, in which case the outside limit is 24 hours after the incident. In schools run by an education authority, that duty sits with the headteacher or another staff member authorised by the headteacher. In an independent school it sits with the proprietor, and in a grant-aided school with the managers. If a parent has already said this information can go to another person, the Act allows the school to contact that person instead. There is room for future exemptions, but only for types of restraint or seclusion later specified in regulations.

The paperwork side is not a footnote here; it is one of the main points of the law. Every education provider will have to record all incidents of restraint or seclusion in its schools. Independent schools and grant-aided schools must provide incident numbers to Scottish Ministers, and each education authority must do the same for the schools it manages. Ministers may also go further by regulations and require incidents to be reported to another named body, with set timescales and rules on form and content. There is a national accountability piece as well. For each year, ministers must prepare a report setting out the number of incidents of restraint and seclusion in schools across Scotland and lay that report before the Scottish Parliament. Some types of incident may later be excluded from recording or reporting, but only after consultation.

The Act also opens the way for a more formal training system. Scottish Ministers may develop standards for training on the use of restraint and seclusion in schools and keep a list of people who meet those standards. They may also recognise standards created by others if they consider them appropriate, and keep a list of people who meet those too. That may sound administrative, but it will matter on the ground. A statute can set duties and deadlines, yet the real test sits in classrooms, support units and corridors where staff have to make quick decisions. If this law is to mean anything in practice, the quality of training, the consistency of reporting and the seriousness of post-incident follow-up will matter just as much as the legal wording.

Not every part of the Act starts at once. The provisions on interpretation, regulation-making, ancillary powers and commencement came into force on 27 May 2026, the day after Royal Assent. The main operational sections, including the legal definitions, guidance, parent notification, recording duties and training provisions, will come into force on dates appointed by ministers through regulations, with a final deadline of 31 July 2028. So the law is now on the books, but the next stretch matters just as much. Schools, councils, unions, parent groups and children's rights campaigners will now be watching for the guidance, the commencement timetable and the reporting rules that turn a broad promise of transparency into something families can actually rely on. It is a Scottish measure, but it will be read closely well beyond Holyrood by anyone following how public services handle restraint, safeguarding and accountability.