Scotland's new restraint law covers schools, not nurseries
The Restraint and Seclusion in Schools (Scotland) Act 2026 defines a school in a way that leaves out nursery schools and nursery classes.
What it means for you
- Your current positive behaviour and physical intervention policy still applies.
- If you are a nursery class inside a school, ask your local authority how it is applying the Act across the school.
The Restraint and Seclusion in Schools (Scotland) Act 2026 sets new rules for restraint and seclusion in schools.
The Act's definition of a school leaves out nursery schools and nursery classes, so its new rules do not apply to them.
A headline about a new restraint law for schools could easily be read as covering nurseries. It does not.
Train your team on this: Promoting Positive Behaviour, a short Hubba course (60 minutes) with a certificate at the end.
Over the border: Does this apply in England?. No. This is a Scottish Act. News for England
Official sources
How this story was made. This story was written with help from AI from the official sources below, then checked and approved by the Hubba Training team before it went live.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Open Government Licence.
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