SCOTLAND’S children’s watchdog raised the alarm today over the use of restraint and seclusion as “discipline or punishment” in schools.

A new report published by the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland (CYPCS) warned of a lack of consistency across Scottish councils in how such techniques are applied.

It was released as mother Sharon Gardner spoke out over the horrific impact of a school chokey on her son who had experienced “serious mental health issues” after being locked in a room at school.

“Families whose children have experienced restraint and seclusion have been desperate for someone to properly look into this issue,” Ms Gardner said.

“My own son was regularly locked in a room at school, which he found incredibly upsetting.

“Several times he wet himself and was blamed for misbehaving, even though the school knew about his sensory issues and his anxiety.”

The CYPCS investigation required all 32 local authorities to provide copies of their policies, but four did not have policies in place.

CYPCS commissioner Bruce Adamson has called on the Scottish government to produce national policies and guidance to bring consistency and ensure children are protected from rights breaches.

Mr Adamson argued it was “unacceptable” that education workers were “being left to try and manage situations without adequate guidance and support.”

He added: “Our investigation into the use of restraint and seclusion revealed a complete lack of consistency across authorities. Some authorities record incidents but have no guidelines. Some have guidelines but cannot tell us how often they use the procedure.

“More worrying, we have heard from young people, their parents and carers how these practices are used as discipline or punishment, without an understanding of needs or care for individuals.”

The report calls for a written response from the Scottish government and councils, as well as more scrutiny of restraint and seclusion.