THE DEPARTMENT for Education is being urged to investigate the use of isolation booths as punishment in schools, where children are often sent to spend an entire day for often trivial reasons.

Stockton South MP Paul Williams has demanded a meeting with the schools’ minister over the use of “consequences booths” which he says are fuelling a mental health crisis among children.

He is demanding a meeting with the schools’ minister, saying the practices introduced by some academy chains would be banned in any workplace and calling for a Department for Education investigation.

The punishments involved children being confined to small booths for up to seven hours, for accumulated minor offences including forgetting a pen, making a paper aeroplane or looking out of a window.

Children sat in the three sided booths are ordered to look straight ahead, avoid movements or noises such as tapping or sighing and limited to three toilet visits during the day.

Dr Williams, who is also a GP, told The Independent that parents in his constituency were angry at the practices, with some children developing anxiety and nightmares.

He said there was already a crisis of mental health problems among young people and schools should be giving pupils support.

One of the academies in Stockton South operating the booths is Ingleby Manor, in Ingleby Barwick, run by the Delta Academies Trust.

One of the parents at the school, said punishments can escalate so quickly that even the best behaved children were finding themselves in the booths and were sitting in the confined spaces for up to seven hours.

Dr Williams raised the issue in the House of Commons, asking the Secretary of State for Education whether his department had assessed the potential side effect of the use of isolation as a form of discipline on children’s mental health.

Nick Gibb, the schools minister, told Dr Williams that schools were “free to develop their own behaviour policies and strategies for managing behaviour, although the department had issued guidelines.

He added: “Schools can adopt a policy which allows disruptive pupils to be placed in isolation away from other pupils for a limited period.

“If a school uses isolation rooms as a disciplinary penalty, this should be made clear in their behaviour policy. As with other disciplinary penalties, schools must act lawfully, reasonably and proportionately in all cases. The school must also ensure the health and safety of pupils.

“The Department is currently refreshing its guidance on pupil behaviour and mental health in schools, which will be published later this year.”

Mr Gibb also told the Stockton MP he would be “very happy” to meet him to discuss the controversy.

A spokesperson on behalf of the Delta Academies Trust, which operates Ingleby Manor, said: “We do not recognise this description of our Behaviour Policy.  

"It is not unusual in secondary schools for students to have periods of time in isolation but this is not the case for trivial matters. 

"This is the case in both local authority schools and academies and is an effective measure to reduce disruption, which impacts on the education of all the students in a class.

"We would wish to point out that in line with many other schools, there is a whole series of sanctions, including several warnings and detentions before a student is placed in isolation.   

"Isolation is closely monitored and a whole package of wrap-around support is provided.  This is designed to allow students to succeed and flourish. 

The impact of a wide combination of support, including communication of clear boundaries and consequences, is to support students to develop as well-rounded, confident and employable young people who recognise and respect the boundaries expected of them by society and their peers.”