Jon Kay Issues “Upsetting” Warning to BBC Breakfast Viewers Over Disturbing Footage of Children in Restraint
Jon Kay took a moment during Wednesday’s BBC Breakfast to issue a heartfelt warning to viewers before a distressing segment aired, involving CCTV footage of young people being restrained in special schools.
The segment, which was part of a wider investigation into the use of “calming rooms” in schools, featured footage from Whitefield Special School in North London. The chilling video depicted young people, including those with autism, being pushed into rooms, restrained by the neck, and left in distressing conditions.
Before the footage was shown, Jon paused to provide a sensitive warning. “There have been calls for the immediate regulation of so-called calming rooms in special schools after a BBC investigation revealed CCTV footage of autistic children being shoved into padded rooms, restrained by the neck or even left alone sitting in vomit,” Jon explained, reported by the Express.
Sally Nugent then added to the segment, giving further context: “A police investigation into the footage recorded at Whitefield Special School in north London between 2014 and 2017 ended this summer without any charges. The school said the new leadership found the footage after the rooms had been closed and shared it with the police.”
As the segment concluded, Jon reminded viewers that the following report might be difficult to watch. “Noel Titheradge has this report, which I must warn you some of you might find upsetting,” Jon said.
The footage that followed was described as “jaw-dropping” by the BBC’s Neil, who reported, “It’s footage that has been described as jaw-dropping. Videos obtained by the BBC show autistic people being abused and neglected inside so-called calming rooms at a special school. Three years ago, we began investigating when 500 hours of footage was found at Whitefield school.”
During the investigation, Deborah, a mother whose son, Jamie, appeared in some of the footage, shared her devastating account. “I saw them push him in the room, whack him in his back, flying on the floor, left in there very confused and frustrated, knowing he’s going to be in there for a long time,” she recalled, adding that Jamie suffered his first epileptic episode after being placed in one of these rooms.
The investigation has sparked calls for reform and further scrutiny of the treatment of children in these facilities, with many demanding immediate regulation of practices within special education environments.