‘Out of sight, out of mind’: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of young people’s experience of isolation rooms/booths in UK mainstream secondary schools

ABSTRACT

Internal isolation has become a mainstay of behaviour management across UK schools. However, despite the extensive use of isolation rooms/booths (IRBs), the supporting evidence-base for such measures remains scant. In contrast, there is growing concern about the impact such punitive spaces have on well-being. This study used the methodological framework of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore how young people made meaning of their lived experiences of isolation rooms/booths (IRBs) in UK mainstream secondary schools through the lens of psychology. Unstructured interviews were conducted with five participants aged 11–18 with repeated experiences of spending time in IRBs. This article focuses on the superordinate theme ‘The Process’ (a restrictive process, the punishment, a process that separates). The findings highlight the impact of isolation on YP’s well-being and add to the evidence-base for further understanding IRBs, whilst questioning their appropriateness as a legitimate, psychologically safe sanction in schools.

KEYWORDS:

• isolation rooms
• IPA
• restrictive practice
• ostracisation

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Dr Andrea Honess, Imogen Gorman and Dr Kimberley Bartholomew for their supervision during the doctoral research process. I would like to acknowledge the contribution of Dr Chris Bagley who introduced me to the literature on ostracisation and edited early drafts of this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Emma Condliffe

Emma Condlliffe completed her doctorate in Educational Psychology at the University of East Anglia in 2021. She is currently working as a Local Authority Educational Psychologist in England.