A report revealed that two former head teachers at The Bridge School in Ipswich locked pupils in “calming rooms” with bolted doors. Odran Doran and Simon Black were investigated after concerns were raised about their leadership. Officials found multiple rooms with bolts during a visit to the school. Doran, who served as head teacher from 1988 to 2017, stated that the rooms were intentionally bleak to de-escalate behavior. Black was found to have been involved in pushing a pupil into a calming room and locking them inside. Both were banned from teaching indefinitely for unprofessional conduct. The Teaching Regulation Agency stated that they fell significantly short of professional standards.
