It is a statutory requirement (Keeping Children Safe in Education) for all schools and academies to keep and maintain:

• a single central record (SCR) of recruitment
• vetting checks for their whole workforce (including volunteers, supply staff and teacher trainees on salaried routes)

Academies will also need to keep the same information for all members of the proprietor body.

The SCR is a key element of safer recruitment.  During an Ofsted Inspection, the inspector will ask to view the record.   The DfE Statutory Guidance for Schools and Colleges, ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education', requires all schools to produce and maintain a Single Central Record of Recruitment and Vetting Checks (SCR).  This requirement has been in place since 2007.

The following guidance has been produced to assist Headteachers, Governing Bodies, and staff in schools who have responsibility for maintaining a Single Central Record (SCR).  This guidance is not comprehensive and should be read in conjunction with the document ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) and the more detailed information contained in the Safeguarding in Employment and Proof of Right to Work information pages.

Who should be included on the SCR?

• All staff employed by the school – e.g. teachers, teaching assistants, cleaners, administrative staff etc
• Trainee teachers on salaried routes
• Supply teachers / casual workers – either employed through the school or through an agency
• All those in regular contact with children including volunteers
• All Governors
• Contractors who visit the school frequently or intensively**
• All people brought into school to provide additional teaching/training /instruction e.g. sports coaches and music teachers

** Definition of frequent and intensive:

• Frequently is defined as once a week or more often
• Intensively is defined as three or more times in a month or overnight

All the above should be included in the same record: separate SCRs should not be held for different categories of employees/volunteers.  Leavers however can be moved to a separate ‘archive SCR’ on an optional basis. 

All fields on the SCR must be completed.  Where any information is not relevant to that individual/role this should be indicated as ‘N/A’ eg qualifications for a Midday Supervisor.   All information inserted in each field/column should be consistent.

Each school needs to keep a SCR in place at all times, but it does not need to be a ‘physical’ record i.e. it could be an electronic record.  Buckinghamshire Council has been advised that it is acceptable to hold the SCR electronically as long as a printed copy is available for inspection. 

Where a person has multiple roles in a school, s/he only needs to appear on the SCR once showing the role which gives them the most contact with/responsibility for children.  For example if a Learning Support Assistant is also a volunteer in an additional capacity, then they would only need to be included on the SCR as an LSA.

The name of the person checking information/documents and completing the SCR, along with the date checked, should always be included.  This can be in the form of initials although where initials are used a key should added to the SCR for ease of reference.

 

Volunteers

Volunteers who do not work frequently i.e. more than 3 times a month with children do not need to be added to the SCR e.g. a parent accompanying children on a school visit. 

Volunteers who work frequently or intensively and are therefore working in Regulated Activity must have an Enhanced DBS Check with a Children’s Barred List Check in place and must be added to the SCR in the same way as other members of staff.

For volunteers not engaged in “regulated activity” a written risk assessment should be undertaken to determine whether an Enhanced DBS Check (excluding a Barred List Check) should be obtained. The completed Risk Assessment should be kept in a school’s local personnel records. Please visit DBS checks for volunteers in schools | SchoolsWeb for further information.

Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) 

MATs must maintain a SCR detailing checks carried out in each academy within a MAT. There is not a requirement for MATs to have separate SCRs for each academy however the information should be recorded in such a way that it allows for details for each individual academy to be provided separately and without delay to those entitled to inspect that information. 

Confidentiality

A school’s SCR should be kept securely on a confidential basis with access limited solely to those staff and Governors who need to have access.

It is a statutory requirement for all schools and academies to keep and maintain a SCR of recruitment and vetting checks for all staff (including relevant volunteers, supply teachers, agency and third-party staff and teacher trainees on salaried routes).  Academies will also need to keep the same information for all members of the proprietor body. 

A model ‘template’ SCR has been developed by the Safeguarding in Employment Team as guidance for schools indicating information which is mandatory for inclusion and information which is recommended for inclusion.  Further information on the template headings is detailed below.

Please note that this template does not replace the format of the SIMS version. 

Schools can formulate and devise their own SCR template format.

You must record:

• the full name of the individual
• the current home address
• date of birth
• The documents seen for evidence of ID must be originals – photocopies should never be accepted. The documents should confirm the name, date of birth, address and be in a photographic form of identity such as a passport.  If photographic evidence is not available, you should try to seek more than one additional form of ID along the lines required for a DBS Check.   The evidence seen e.g. passport plus the date and name of the person who checked it must be recorded on the SCR.

The Home Address forms part of proof of identity and as such, evidence should be obtained that the address has been checked.  There is no requirement to evidence any change of address throughout employment.

Schools are expected to retain copies of documentation used to confirm ID and Proof of Right to Work in the UK.  Copies of this information should be kept on a secure, restricted and confidential basis in local personal files once the details have been entered onto the SCR (including the name of the person who witnessed the ID and date of the check).

The employment start date and the job title can be recorded but this isn't an essential requirement. It may be helpful to standardise the job titles where possible to facilitate searching where necessary. If you do include it, then job roles (and start dates of job roles) should be updated, where appropriate, as the range of vetting checks may need to be adjusted in line with any new job role.

You may also want to consider whether a volunteer should be listed as a "supervised volunteer" or as an "unsupervised volunteer" as that description will impact the kind of vetting checks required.

Only professional qualifications that are a requirement for a role need to be recorded e.g. Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) for teachers in LA Schools.  All qualifications held by an individual can be checked but this is optional and is not a requirement.  Please note: a HLTA qualification should be verified where relevant.

Where qualifications are not required, each field should be completed with ‘N/A’.

Teacher's record Check - Prohibitions, directions, sanctions and restrictions

This check included TA/LSA/HLTA with teaching responsibilities.

• KCSiE says “A person who is prohibited must not be appointed to a role that involves teaching work (as defined in the Teachers’ Disciplinary (England) Regulations 2012)”.
  
  
• The full range of “prohibitions, directions, sanctions and orders for school staff and Governors” are at KCSiE 2026 paragraphs 330 – 339.

 

You must check a teacher’s record before they start working for you in a school or college in England. If you use a teacher supply agency you must make sure they’ve checked the teacher’s record.

Before you check their record, you:

• will need a DfE account/login by using this link Department for Education (DfE) and follow on-screen instructions
• will need their last name and date of birth
• should confirm the teacher’s identity

 

A teacher’s record tells you whether they have:

• qualified teacher status (QTS) or early years teacher status (EYTS)
• passed their induction
• national professional qualifications (NPQ) or mandatory qualifications for teaching pupils with sensory impairments
• been prohibited from teaching by the Teaching Regulation Agency or General Teaching Council for England
• been found guilty of serious misconduct but not prohibited from teaching

Ofsted and Buckinghamshire Council recommends that teacher’s checks are carried out for all staff members with teaching responsibilities. ‘Teaching work’ is defined below:

• Planning and preparing lessons and courses for pupils
• Delivering lessons to pupils
• Assessing the development, progress and attainment of pupils
• Reporting on the development, progress and attainment of pupils

In addition to obtaining the DBS certificate, anyone who is appointed to carry out teaching work will require an additional check to ensure they are not prohibited from teaching – the prohibition order.

A prohibition order means that the person concerned is not allowed to undertake unsupervised teaching work in schools or other settings.

With effect from 3 September 2018 (KCSiE) the following lists should be checked:the Historic GTCE Sanctions & Restrictions list should also be checked by schools / Academies for any teaching staff; the “Teachers who have failed induction or probation” list which is also at the Teacher Services website must also be checked by schools / Academies to confirm that any teaching staff is not on the list.

All four lists can be checked via the Teacher Services website:

• Teachers who have failed induction or probation
• General Teaching Council for England (GTCE) Sanctions
• Teachers and others prohibited from the profession
• Section 128 barring directions

We recommend that all four lists above are checked for all teaching staff (not just new teaching staff) and recorded on an SCR.

European Economic Area (EEA) teachers with sanctions

From 1 January 2021 the Teaching Regulation Agency no longer maintains a list of EEA teachers with sanctions, so this check (undertaken by schools via the Teacher Services/Employer Access route) is no longer be available. Instead, teachers will need to be asked to provide a letter of professional standing from the organisation responsible for regulating teachers in the country in which they qualified. Teachers who are qualified in the EEA will be required to present this when they apply for Qualified Teacher Status in England.

With effect from 5^th January 2015 it is mandatory for all Proprietor Governors and Members of the Senior Leadership Team, including Heads of Departments, in academies and free schools to be checked that they are not barred under the terms of Section 128 of the Education & Skills Act 2008. To check Section 128 list, please use this link Individuals prohibited from managing or governing schools - GOV.UK 

The list is in alphabetical order, please check and ensure the name does not appear on that list.

The requirement for section 128 checks covers individuals “taking part in the management of an independent school” which consequently covers:

• Membership of an Academy’s proprietor body (which includes Governors if the Governor’s Body is the proprietor body for an Academy);
• A Headteacher;
• All teaching and non-teaching positions on a Senior Leadership Team;
• Teaching positions which are deemed to be Heads of Department.

Section 128 checks are not required for current staff and members of a proprietor body of an Academy who were in position prior to 5 January 2015. Section 128 checks only need to be undertaken for relevant new staff members and members of a proprietor body of an Academy appointed after that date.

With effect from 3 September 2018 (KCSiE) this check is now mandatory for all governors (new and existing) including those in LA Maintained Schools.

A Children’s Barred List check must be undertaken on all staff working in Regulated Activity.   Where an Enhanced DBS Check is undertaken, this should include a Children’s Barred List Check.  Where a member of staff commences work before a DBS Certificate is received, a Children’s Barred List check must be undertaken separately.  Please refer to Schoolsweb for further information on how to request a Children’s Barred List check and also about the Risk Assessment process.

Volunteers who are closely supervised would not usually be deemed to be undertaking Regulated Activity.  In those circumstances, a school has discretion about whether to obtain an Enhanced DBS check.  A Children’s Barred List Check must not be included in those circumstances (refer to previous information on Risk Assessments for volunteers.)

Please note that with effect from 1 September 2016 it is mandatory for all Governors in schools to have an Enhanced DBS Check.  A Children’s Barred List Check should only be included if a Governor is also undertaking any other activity in the school which falls within the definition of Regulated Activity.

Some employees working in Special Secondary Schools may provide sensitive personal care to pupils aged 18 years’ of age and older.  Employees providing those kinds of services to older pupils may be regarded as undertaking “regulated activity” for adults and consequently may require an Enhanced DBS Check that includes not just a Children’s Barred List Check but also an Adults’ Barred List Check.  Further information about “regulated activity” for adults is at the following publication: Department of Health Regulated Activity (Adults).  Alternatively, please contact the HR Service Desk (01296 382233) which will then forward your query to the DBS Team which will provide further guidance and information in relation to your query.

The DBS Update Service was introduced in June 2013 and enables individuals to subscribe annually to the Service and allows a DBS Certificate to be portable.

Where individuals have lived or worked outside the UK for six months or more in the previous five years at the point of submitting a DBS Check application then a Certificate of Good Conduct (CGC) – in effect a police check of criminal records – should be obtained, where possible, from each county where an individual has lived for six or more months.  Where a CGC cannot be obtained, then after all reasonable efforts, a self-declaration (see Certificate of Good Conduct declaration form) may need to be completed. 

Evidence of “proof of the right to work in the UK” must be seen and copies verified prior to an employee commencing work.  Please note we recommend this requirement should also be applied to volunteers who work frequently or intensively. School Governors do not need to have this check unless they also work or volunteer in another capacity on a regular basis at the school.

Please refer to the Proof of right to work checks for new starters | SchoolsWeb on the service desk portal for further information about the process and a list of acceptable documents.

Please note: a full copy of the evidence used to confirm the “right to work in the UK” (e.g. a passport) should be kept confidentially in a local personnel file for at least two years after an individual has left a school.

Schools must obtain written notification from any agency or third-party organisation they use that the organisation has carried out the checks on an individual who will be working at the school that the school would otherwise perform.  The written notification confirming the relevant vetting checks have been undertaken by the agency/contractor on the individual is often called a “letter of assurance.”   A template “letter of assurance” for use by BC schools is available at Outside workforce including volunteers | SchoolsWeb

Contractors/agency staff who have regular contact with children must have an Enhanced DBS Check (including a Children’s Barred List Check).  Other agency/contractors may need a Basic or Enhanced DBS Check without Barred List depending upon the kind of work being undertaken at school.(KCSiE 2026, paragraphs 362-371)

Under no circumstances should a contractor in respect of whom no checks have been obtained be allowed to work unsupervised or engage in regulated activity. Schools and colleges are responsible for determining the appropriate level of supervision depending on the circumstances. 

If an individual working at a school or college is self-employed, the school or college should consider obtaining the DBS check, as self-employed people are not able to make an application directly to the DBS on their own account.  

Schools and colleges should always check the identity of contractors and their staff on arrival at the school or college. 

This check is not mandatory for inclusion on a SCR, but BC recommends the check is included.

The Childcare (Disqualification) and Childcare (Early Years Provision Free of Charge) (Extended Entitlement) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 (“the 2018 Regulations”) apply to staff and volunteers: 

• working in childcare provision
• who are directly concerned with the management of childcare provision

and prohibit anyone who has disqualified themselves under the Regulations from working in a relevant setting, including in schools, and it is the school’s responsibility to undertake these checks.

This requirement to check the ‘disqualification’ status of relevant staff and volunteers is in addition to existing checks such as Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Checks.

Schools or academies most likely to be affected are: junior, primary, infants, and combined schools or academies that have children under age 8

Schools must ensure that they are not knowingly employing a person who is disqualified under the 2018 Regulations.

• There is not a legal requirement for a relevant staff member or volunteer to sign a Declaration Form confirming his / her disqualification status; schools / Academies do need to be able to confirm, however, the date on which a disqualification check was completed so the Council’s recommendation is to ask a relevant staff member and volunteer to sign a Declaration Form such as the one produced by the Council (see link attached);
• Staff such as caretakers, cleaners, drivers, transport escorts, school nurses, catering and office staff are not typically covered by the legislation; local authority staff involved in healthcare provision such as speech and language therapists and educational psychologists are excluded from the definition of childcare and are not covered by this legislation;
• Relevant schools / Academies need to confirm that any relevant staff from any agency or third party organisation are not disqualified;
• Relevant staff and volunteers who may be disqualified must not work in a relevant setting until or unless a waiver of disqualification is obtained by an individual from OFSTED;
• The process for determining whether a relevant staff member or volunteer is disqualified remains unchanged; the Council recommends that a school / Academy should contact the LADO in the first instance who will provide advice about the process to be followed in those cases;

The threshold for criminal information for relevant staff and volunteers being spent remains unchanged.

1. Anyone who is disqualified under the terms of the above Regulations is prohibited from working in a relevant non-domestic setting which includes relevant schools and Academies.
2. A disqualified person may apply for a waiver from OFSTED. View further details of the process of applying for a waiver from OFSTED
3. The following categories of staff in nursery, primary, or secondary school settings are covered by the Regulations:
• staff and volunteers who work in early years’ provision (including teachers and support
• staff working in school nursery and reception classes); early years’ provision includes work during normal school hours looking after children aged up to and including 31 August following their 5^th birthday (i.e. a reception class)
• staff and volunteers working in later years’ provision for children; later years’ provision includes work in childcare outside normal school hours with children who are older than reception age (as defined above) but under age 8; the work for later years’ provision does not include extended education activities but it does include before school activities such as breakfast clubs and similar after school provision;
• staff and volunteers who are directly concerned in the management of early or later years’ provision; the expectation is that this provision would apply to Headteachers and may include any other relevant members of a school’s leadership team.
4. A school / Academy that includes early years’ and later years’ provision (as defined above) may want to consider whether staff and volunteers who do not work regularly in those areas nevertheless work there to such a degree that they come within the scope of the legislation. For example, staff/volunteers not working regularly in early or later years’ provision may nevertheless work with those children sufficiently frequently to warrant inclusion in the disqualification requirements e.g. helping out in the playground and during school events, covering early years’ classes, and helping out generally with those children.
5. Where a staff member/volunteer does not work in a relevant setting sufficiently regularly to be covered by the legislation but does work in those settings from time to time then a school / Academy may want to consider recording any risks and control measures that should be put in place and keep such an assessment in an individual’s local personal file.
6. Staff members/volunteers in secondary schools may be covered where there are before school settings such as breakfast clubs and/or after-school provision for children under age 8.
7. Relevant volunteers working in relevant settings with children under age 8 are covered by the legislation.
8. Governors: The DfE has confirmed that this requirement only relates to those in employment in childcare and therefore does not apply to governors (unless a governor is working as a volunteer in a relevant setting with children under age 8).
9. Contractors / Agency staff: schools / Academies that use staff working or volunteering in relevant childcare that is supplied by an agency or third-party organisation, must ensure that the agency or organisation has carried out the relevant disqualification checks. Our recommendation is that wherever possible confirmation is obtained from a relevant agency or organisation that any agency worker employed at a school / Academy in a relevant setting has not been disqualified under the terms of the Regulations.  In practice, relevant schools / Academies may have to ask a relevant agency/contract staff member whether s/he is willing to sign a copy of the attached Declaration and keep those details in a school’s / Academy’s local personal files
10. Single Central Record (SCR): There is not a requirement under the terms of the Regulations for any Disqualification Declaration record to be kept on a school’s / Academy’s Single Central Record. Nevertheless, a school / Academy may want to insert an additional column to record details of a Disqualification Declaration where applicable. The SIMS Team has included an additional column for this purpose and has reissued a new SIMS SCR.  Including this information on a school’s SCR may be helpful in that the relevant safeguarding information is kept in a single document.
11. Data Protection: schools / Academies should not ask staff members/volunteers or any third parties for a “Subject Access Report” (SAR) from the DBS and/or a local police force (a SAR is a report about any personal information held by the DBS and/ or the police). In addition, a school / Academy should not store any personal data or sensitive data about a staff member without his/her consent and any information is kept to a minimum, is accurate, and is only stored for the minimum period of time necessary.  Any personal information retained that is relevant to disqualification should be kept on a local personnel file.
12. Some staff/volunteers working in Residential Schools may be subject to “Disqualification by Association” (i.e. by living in the same household as someone who is disqualified). Please contact Pat Stappard (HR Safeguarding Consultant) for further advice if these circumstances may apply. In simple terms, a person may be disqualified through:
• being included on the DBS Children’s Barred List
• being cautioned for or convicted of certain violent and sexual criminal offences against children and adults (as defined in the above Regulations)
• grounds relating to the care of children (including where an order is made in respect of a child under the person’s care)
• having registration refused or cancelled in relation to childcare or children’s homes or being disqualified from private fostering
• cautions and convictions of specified violent and sexual criminal offences against adults and children
• being the subject of a Disqualification Order – including orders made in respect of his / her own children
13. Staff members who are disqualified may apply to OFSTED for a waiver of disqualification. 

 What you need to do

 Relevant schools / Academies will need to:

1. Identify relevant staff members/volunteers working in relevant settings (as defined above); staff members/volunteers working in those settings should confirm that s/he is not disqualified under the terms of the legislation.  (A Declaration Form for this purpose is attached which we recommend is used by schools / Academies; the Form includes an addendum providing background information so that the Form constitutes a stand-alone document.)
2. A school / Academy should contact the LADO immediately if it becomes aware of anyone at a school / Academy (including volunteers) who is or may be disqualified; OFSTED must be notified within 14 days.
3. You may want to consider asking each relevant new appointment (including volunteers) working in relevant settings in schools / Academies to confirm that s/he is not disqualified by completing the attached Declaration Form prior to commencing work recognising that completion of the Form is not mandatory.
4. DBS Certificates that contain information should be checked with reference to the list of relevant offences in the Regulations (as detailed above). Please contact the HR service desk who will direct you to the relevant person for advice where a DBS Certificate contains information.
5. Relevant schools / Academies must ensure that any external agencies providing relevant staff have carried out those disqualification checks prior to placing those staff at a school / Academy. As detailed in paragraph 9 above, a relevant school / Academy may wish to request a signed Declaration Form directly from a relevant agency staff member/contractor if there are likely to be any significant delays in obtaining appropriate confirmation from an agency/organisation.
6. Schools / Academies will need to develop a process for obtaining regular confirmation from relevant staff/volunteers that there has been no change to their “disqualification status.” Although there is no timeframe mentioned for obtaining the confirmation, we believe that an annual reminder to relevant staff/volunteers asking for an individual email response is sufficient.  Copies of email confirmation from relevant staff/volunteers should be kept on an individual’s local personal file.

Staff Disqualification Declaration Form 
Staff Disqualification Declaration (Refresher) Form

The SCR template can be used to add discretionary sections where schools wish to do so.  Examples include:

• recording of references received – whilst obtaining and checking references is a vital part of safer recruitment for staff and volunteers it is not mandatory to record this information on the SCR. However, a column can be added if required.  There is no requirement to obtain references for Governors although may wish to do so as part of “good practice.”
• evidence of safeguarding training undertaken.  

Model Single Central Record (Sep 2024)