EDUCATION watchdogs say pupils at a school for autistic children in Tadley have been illegally put in “cell-type” rooms as a form of restraint.

The allegation about Tadley Horizon School is made in a highly-critical Ofsted social care inspection report which has graded the institution as “inadequate” after an inspection in February.

The privately-run school, in Tadley Common Road, provides care, education and accommodation for 54 children with autism between the ages of five and 19. Some 32 of the children are residential pupils, living on site.

The latest report, published last Friday, says: “So-called ‘calm rooms’ are illegally and constantly used to restrict the liberty of residential pupils in a ‘cell-type’ environment.” It says their use is excessive and their name is misleading.

The report says the rooms were used 1,004 times, with only 100 being at the pupils’ instigation.

There had been 46 recorded episodes of restraint over a year.

The report says that records do not show how pupils were placed in the rooms, how long they were in them for, whether the doors were closed, whether checks were made every five minutes, or if the pupils were offered drinks and snacks or allowed to go to the toilet.

It says the rooms are “highly unsuitable for the purpose of managing heightened behaviour”. The school has now been asked by Ofsted only to use restraint in “exceptional circumstances to prevent injury”, the report says.

The inspectors were also unhappy that in the few instances when pupils were shut in their bedrooms and not allowed to leave, “denial of liberty” was not seen as a last resort.

The report notes that some of the incidents of restraint were actually referred by the school to Hampshire County Council as the local education authority, but the “designated officer” found use of restraint had been appropriate.

The overall verdict of “inadequate” is a dramatic change from only last March, when Ofsted rated the school as “outstanding” in every area.

However, the new report still says both the care and provision for the 32 residential children are “adequate”, with pupils living in “a warm, supportive and relaxed environment”.

Relationships between residential pupils and staff are said to be good, with pupils supported in their development.

Tadley Horizon is managed by The Priory Education Services Limited, which is part of The Priory Group.

A spokesman for the company said: “While we have challenged the factual accuracy of some aspects of this report, we note Ofsted’s concerns and are undertaking a thorough review of our policies and procedures for behavioural management at the school.”

The company is challenging various points in the report including the number of times the ‘calm rooms’ have been used, the fact that children are locked inside them, and the claim that it did not record these incidents properly.

Headteacher Phil Jonas declined to comment.