Dr. Green is a private music teacher who works on the premises of a school. Once a week, he comes to school during the school day and gives lessons to a particular student. It is paid directly by the parents of the student he teaches. He is not supervised by any employee while he is at school. Academies and independent schools must carry out audits under Article 128 for: For roles in schools that do not involve direct contact with children, there is always a good chance that the role will require a higher level of DBS exams due to the nature of a school environment – either an extended DBS exam or a standard DBS exam. An extended DBS exam for teachers and volunteers in schools provides the same information as an extended DBS exam for individuals. An advanced DBS check is the highest level of verification available and displays the following: This advanced DBS check also includes the ability to search the list of child locks. It is mandatory to consult the blacklist of children if the candidate goes to the school grounds more than 3 times a month to perform his duties. It indicates whether an applicant should be excluded from working with children.
It is a criminal offence to hire a person from the excluded children list to work in a school. People who volunteer at a school, such as athletic coaches, parents who help supervise a class trip, prospective teachers, or others on internships, may also need to obtain a DBS cheque. In 2016, the government enacted a new law requiring all school principals to carry out enhanced DBS checks. If the role involves working directly with children in an unattended role, the role may require advanced DBS verification. Due to the nature of a school environment with a high ratio of children to adults, it is likely that most roles fall into this category, even administrative and support staff. If a school arranges transportation (taxi) to an external education provider, the school must be satisfied that the provider has carried out all appropriate checks, including DBS checks on its staff. DBS advanced examinations are an Ofsted requirement and are necessary to prevent inappropriate candidates from working with children in any capacity. Ofsted closely monitors recruitment practices in UK schools to ensure that only DBS certified teachers and volunteers are recruited. This is crucial for the protection and well-being of students. Under no circumstances should a contractor for whom controls have not been carried out be allowed to work unsupervised or to carry out a regulated activity. If a contractor working in a school is a freelancer, the school should consider DBS verification, as freelancers cannot apply directly to DBS on their own behalf. These checks are not mandatory for supervised schools.
Bus drivers employed or engaged by schools or local authorities to transport children or vulnerable adults must be subject to advanced DBS checks. If the driver is employed by BC, the appropriate checks have been carried out by BC. It is not necessary for these taxi drivers/bus drivers to be accepted into a school`s SCR. If you are unable to provide inspectors with sufficient evidence of exceptional circumstances or adequate additional safeguards, your school may be deemed “inadequate” for safety reasons. In schools, the most relevant activity will likely be self-care (including physical support of someone) or managing or supervising a person providing that care. But what about other roles within a school that don`t involve direct instruction? Most people who work in a school need a higher exam, i.e. Standard DBS Check or Enhanced DBS Check. A big part of Ofsted`s role is to ensure that children are safe in the facilities it regulates.
Therefore, Ofsted has specific requirements for DBS exams in education. If a school uses external training providers, the school must have written assurances that all audits, including DBS exams, have been carried out (via a statement of assurance). Funded schools should also conduct a section 128 review for principals. A person prevented by an order under section 128 from running an independent school will also be expelled by the principal of a grant-aided school. We recommend that you renew the DBS checks regularly. Many schools, colleges and kindergartens renew DBS exams every three years as part of their commitment to safe recruitment, but this always depends on the organisation`s governing body – in this case, Ofsted for staff from another school/college who have been employed in the last 3 months, you can request a new extended DBS exam for these personnel. if you wish. Or you can: Examples of roles that may require standard or higher DBS verification include administrative staff, cleaners, housekeeping staff, and kitchen staff or dinner ladies. DBS Check requirements also apply to contractors who attend school, such as construction workers or maintenance workers. Schools must ensure that any contractor or contractor employee who is to work at the school has undergone the appropriate DBS audit (if necessary or appropriate) and that there is adequate supervision during the stay on the premises.
All employees of schools, colleges and kindergartens must be subject to extensive DBS control, as they have the opportunity to contact children regularly. The school must submit requests for enhanced DBS verification on behalf of the individual, as their identity must be verified with the details provided on the form. The following guide explains our interpretation of Ofsted`s requirements for DBS exams in educational institutions. Even if the role does not require contact with children, there is always a good chance that the person is in a situation where they are left unattended with a child. Therefore, for safety reasons, many schools insist that all employees, regardless of role, have standard or higher DBS control. Most roles in schools or colleges meet at least one of these definitions. This makes most employees qualified for advanced DBS verification with a search for subordinate CRLs. Article 128 Verify that any person has been excluded from the management or management of schools. Persons who sit on a principal under section 128 may not sit on the school board or be part of the senior management team of the academies. Many of the roles, including teachers, teaching assistants, school counsellors, etc., are classified as regulated activities. A regulated activity is an activity that involves direct and unsupervised contact with children three or more times in a 30-day period. Any role classified as a regulated activity requires advanced DBS verification with CRL verification.
Ofsted requires recruitment practices in schools and kindergartens to meet a certain safety standard. Their recruitment procedures should help to deter, identify or reject persons who may pose a risk to children. Ms. Cole is an electrician and is sometimes assigned by a school to deal with electrical problems in an emergency. These are one-off opportunities and never more than three times a month. The DfE expects schools to only allow someone to take up a position in exceptional cases before the results of their DBS exam are known. There is no definition of `extraordinary circumstances`, but you should be able to show Ofsted why you thought the circumstances were exceptional. That`s what a representative of the DfE told us.
Use our risk assessment to decide whether you want to accept an existing DBS certificate or perform a new check (if you are sponsored by a school, check first to see if your local authority (LA) has any advice on this). If you are in a well-maintained school, your LA may have its own risk assessment that you should use in this situation, so check with them first before using ours. Although DBS exams are not required by law, OFSTED states that all schools are required to conduct audits of DBS staff. This allows hiring managers to make appropriate and safe hiring decisions. Anyone aged 16 and over is entitled to a DBS check. Therefore, anyone who volunteers at a school 16 years of age or older can receive a basic DBS cheque if the school deems it necessary. In general, volunteers are not left unattended with children, so they may not need a higher-level exam. Schools should always verify the identity of contractors and their staff upon arrival at school and ensure that signing procedures are in place and followed. For contractors who regularly visit the school, the details must be recorded in the school`s Single Central Record (SCR) and cross-checked with a “Statement of Assurance” from the employer to confirm that further necessary checks have been carried out.
DBS exams are an important part of determining a potential employee`s suitability to work in a school, college or kindergarten. Since 2016, it has been mandatory for all school principals to have an enhanced DBS check carried out. In addition, a section 128 review should be considered. If the municipality has hired the taxi service, it needs the written assurances, but if the school organizes the taxis, it is the school that needs the written assurances by letter or insurance. There are 2 types of DBS checks for those working in schools: Special boarding schools are a special case – some staff members may need extensive DBS checks for adults (without information on the blacklist), even if they are not engaged in regulated activities with adults. Read the DBS guide linked above to understand the specific requirements. This can lead to other problems, such as contract breaches or formal dismissal procedures, which can be costly for your school.