Does your school use isolation booths?

Polls

24th January 2020

THE Children’s Commissioner for England has said that more schools are converting toilet blocks and classrooms to build isolation booths.

Cubicles that block pupils from being able to talk to each other have become common in schools, and some teachers don’t think that’s a good thing. The booths are spaces where pupils sit in silence for hours as punishment for breaking school rules and for disruptive behaviour.

Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield has said that she is conducting research to find out just how much the cubicles are being used, and says she has already heard “horror stories” about children’s experiences in isolation booths.

The Commissioner said that some pupils had been in isolation for days or weeks, sometimes with nothing to do.

The Centre for Mental Health charity is also against the booths, warning that putting pupils in isolation for long periods can “have a negative impact” on mental health.

Not everyone agrees, however. The Government’s behaviour expert, Tom Bennett, says that the booths aren’t “isolation rooms”. They are “supervised, and more often than not, accompanied by other students. These are safe spaces, run by adults”.

Later this year, the Government will publish new advice on how schools use the booths. For now, the Department for Education says that “pupils are not to be kept in isolation longer than necessary and their time spent there must be as constructive as possible.”

Does your school use isolation booths?

30 Comments

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dog13 · 4 years ago

No, children need to talk about their bad behavior.

kitizu · 4 years ago

I put yes, but it's not a booth, per se. It's more of a room.

delealli · 4 years ago

I have no idea what it is like but there is a sign in the PE block that says ‘isolation base’ on the door of a cupboard. I think that isolation is bad because it makes people feel cut off and it will be more difficult for them to work.

delealli · 4 years ago

First to comment

latte06 · 4 years ago

No! I don't think that it's right to isolate students for hours, let alone days! If you had to, you should at least give them something to do, such as homework. At my school, naughty pupils do 'community service' which is when you help teachers after lessons and you have to do a kind act.

amazingaje · 4 years ago

first person to reply!

amazingaje · 4 years ago

i would definitely not like a isolation booth in my school. who agrees? you can say yes or no if you want to.

saxophone7 · 4 years ago

No one should use islation its so cruel

alpacafan · 4 years ago

I think that if your put in one of the booths,it may be harder to complete work as you have no input which means that it's better to not do isolation at all so that it's easier to learn.

anju-fnews · 4 years ago

Our school doesn't but I do think that it is a bad idea because if young children are also put in these booths they may become easily angry and tempered. It may also increase their bad behavior instead of decreasing it Also, some children hate being in isolation as well. Overall, I'm glad that our school doesn't have this system.

neiljunior · 4 years ago

It sounds stupid. I hope I never go in one

candyflos · 4 years ago

No

wireskid · 4 years ago

No, if they did yes, kids would be bored but they should not have them as it may make them feel like they are to bad to do things.

josh_h · 4 years ago

No, In my school we don't.

bamboomilk · 4 years ago

What's an isolation booth?

peebi0412 · 4 years ago

There are no isolation booths in my school however, there is an isolation room. I think this is good because it gives us a chance to reflect upon our behaviour however, I highly disagree with isolation booths as this would put too much pressure on the us.

dog_lover · 4 years ago

The kid should have detention. At our school, if you break the school rules, you have to miss lunch and can't talk to anyone. This isnt actually as bad as it may sound, because there are other people around you. Or sometimes they take you to the library and you have to talk through what happened to a teacher.

lolatiger · 4 years ago

As a 16 year old all of these children have amazing vocabulary!

stargrl · 4 years ago

Err, delealli, that is a is probably a electricity cupboard. 🤭 I thought it might be too, but my parents knew what it was.

thanos · 4 years ago

No

sloth-love · 4 years ago

Our school used too however, they now they don't. Last year they got rid of both isolation (booths) and detentions.

scichaser2 · 4 years ago

Mine does. I think that it is plain cruel, and should not be this way. There is only one form of positive praise at our school which is nothing compared to the ten versions of detentions which includes isolation. This is not the way it should be and it needs to stop.

opalstar · 4 years ago

No !!!!! My school would not!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

katkid10 · 4 years ago

My school only uses isolation booths if someone needs one and wants one.

bourbons25 · 4 years ago

My school only have a room, not cubicles. I have never seen it properly, but I think it is a bad idea because some people find it really difficult to work in silence.

badgehuff · 3 years ago

That is such a bad idea! Children need to think about their bad behaviour yes but going that far is too extreme.

gelatoni · 3 years ago

NO
they need to talk about there behaviour not sit in a booth for hours thats just mean even if they have done something wrong

weirdcat · 3 years ago

No. But I'm home educated so I'm not a great example

simbasimba · 2 years ago

haven't seen it

puzzlepeas · 2 years ago

NO BUT IT SOUND HORRIBLE