No.
The power is in statute and is not conditional on having been on a course. DfE says staff likely to need it should be adequately trained, and then hands the decision about what that training is to school leaders. So “only the trained team can do this” is a school’s arrangement, not a national rule — which matters when you are the only adult in the room and the trained team is elsewhere.
updated 8 Jul 2026last checked 13 Aug 2026
What the source actually says
The power itself, in the Act, carries no training condition:
“A person to whom this section applies may use such force as is reasonable in the circumstances for the purpose of preventing a pupil from doing (or continuing to do) any of the following, namely—”
— Education and Inspections Act 2006, s.93(1), current text as revised legislation
“This section applies to a person who is, in relation to a pupil, a member of the staff of any school at which education is provided for the pupil.”
— Education and Inspections Act 2006, s.93(2), current text as revised legislation
What DfE’s current guidance says about training — note “should”, and note who decides:
“Staff who are likely to need to use reasonable force and/or other restrictive interventions should be adequately trained in its safe and lawful use and in preventative strategies. We trust school leaders to make decisions on training based on their school’s individual contexts and needs. When deciding what formal staff training is required, school leaders should ensure that the chosen training reflects the principles of this guidance.”
— Restrictive interventions, including the use of reasonable force, in schools, DfE, effective from 1 April 2026, p.6, “Who can use reasonable force?” DfE. That capture holds two documents; this is the current one, which replaced the 2013 guidance on 31 March 2026.
The guidance is explicit about the weight of “should”:
“Where it uses the term “should”, the advice set out should be followed unless there is good reason not to.”
— Restrictive interventions, including the use of reasonable force, in schools, DfE, effective from 1 April 2026, p.3, “Status of this guidance” DfE
Where the harder duty actually sits — with the employer, over risk assessment:
“Employers have a duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of their employees. Therefore, schools should carry out risk assessments to ensure that staff who regularly work alongside pupils where the use of reasonable force and/or other restrictive interventions may be required can do so as safely as possible.”
— Restrictive interventions, including the use of reasonable force, in schools, DfE, effective from 1 April 2026, p.6, “Who can use reasonable force?” DfE
Your school may still require it
Your school can decide that only named, trained staff normally handle physical intervention, can require you to call for them rather than act, and can make that its policy — and where a school works with pupils who regularly need restraint, training and a risk assessment are what the guidance expects of it. That is a school choice about how to organise, not a legal precondition on the power. It also cannot be turned round into a rule that untrained staff must stand and watch a child be hurt: the power is yours, the judgement in the moment is yours, and DfE’s own answer to whether training is mandatory is that leaders decide.
See also Am I allowed to use reasonable force, or is that only for senior staff? and Can my school ban me from searching pupils or using reasonable force?.