This post is about conflict management | personal safety | dynamis training. Positive Handling in schools is about more than physical restraint — it’s about keeping everyone safe while preserving dignity. Schools come to us when they’re dealing with challenging behaviours, and they need practical, legally-sound strategies that work in real classrooms.
Our Positive Handling training reduces injury risk, improves inspection compliance, and safeguards staff, children, and your school’s reputation. We use a robust Positive Handling decision-making framework based on all the relevant legislation and recent national guidance, coupled with a modern, pragmatic approach to the holding and containment of children whose behaviour might harm themselves or others.
A decision-making framework grounded in legislation and national guidance — paired with a modern, pragmatic approach to keeping children safe.
We deliver a relevant training course for your team at your school or service, on dates of your convenience. Choose from a standard one-day course on an INSET day, or a blended twilight short course that leverages our online training system. We also offer dedicated training for Special Schools who look after children with SEN/EBD, based on a detailed training needs analysis.
9:30am to 3:30pm on a day when you can release your team. This option gives your staff the most practice time and question-and-answer time with our trainers. Assimilation of the material and retention of the physical skills is optimal with this duration.
Schools usually choose this option when they have a well-identified need for training in physical interventions with particular high-risk children.
💡 Best for: Schools with identified high-risk pupils or SEN settings needing thorough hands-on practice. For dedicated SEN, Learning Disability, or EBD settings, we also offer a 2-day Care and Control option recommended for higher-risk care environments.
AM, PM, or after-school on any date convenient for your team — no need for an INSET day. Sometimes a school with limited time, or with infrequent incidents at a low level of risk, needs a more concise approach.
We use our online courseware — with individual logins, progress tracking, and test scores based on video presentations — to prepare your staff on the required knowledge and theory. Then we visit onsite on a convenient day to develop the necessary physical skills for managing situations.
✅ Flexible scheduling: Sessions can start at 9:30am, 12:30pm, or 3:30pm — built around your school day. Find out more about blended twilight courses →
Gerard O’Dea is a conflict management, personal safety, and physical interventions training consultant. He is the training director for Dynamis, a specialist provider of personal safety and violence management programmes, and the European Adviser for ‘Verbal Defense and Influence’ — a global programme addressing the full spectrum of human conflict.
He travels the length and breadth of the UK teaching Positive Handling in Schools and Restraint with Children, helping headteachers and their staff manage challenging behaviours safely and effectively.
For more information visit www.positivehandling.co.uk or use the contact details on this page to talk to our team and book your Positive Handling training course today.
This guide on conflict management | personal safety | dynamis training is part of our ongoing work with schools and academies.
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