Written By Lisa Murimi
Disturbing CCTV footage from Whitefield School in Walthamstow, northeast London, reveals harrowing mistreatment of autistic children between 2014 and 2017.
The videos, obtained by the BBC, show children being shoved, restrained by the neck, and left alone for hours in padded “calming rooms,” sometimes sitting in their vomit.
Safeguarding expert Elizabeth Swan described the footage as “torture,” while local MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith called it “jaw-dropping” and demanded urgent reforms.
Parents, who were invited to view the footage by police, expressed heartbreak and anger.
Deborah, the mother of a boy named Jamie, described seeing her son shoved to the floor and left confined, which she believes contributed to his epilepsy.
Other families reported children developing PTSD or severe psychological damage.
A police investigation into the abuse concluded without charges earlier this year, leaving families to cope with the trauma.
Whitefield School, under new leadership, reported the footage to authorities after shutting down the rooms.
The BBC uncovered similar cases across the UK, including an autistic child kept in a cage at a Bury St Edmunds school.
Despite calls for tighter regulations on seclusion rooms, national guidance remains vague.
Waltham Forest Council announced plans for an independent review, but families argue more significant reforms and accountability are overdue.
