CRB & OFSTED & SCHOOLS:
FROM ‘OFSTED’ WEBSITE (10th May 2010):
Q. Are Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks required for all visitors or volunteers to schools and colleges?
· Visitors Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks are not required for visitors. Visitors do not have unsupervised access to children.
· Volunteers Checks are required for those who have regular and unsupervised access to children and young people.
However, schools and colleges have been advised by CRB and in Safeguarding children and safer recruitment in education that a robust risk assessment should take place first. Schools and colleges should be able to provide such risk assessments and be able to explain the rationale for those who have been checked and those who have not. The key test is ‘frequent’ or ‘intensive’ contact with learners. The definition of ‘frequent’ and ‘intensive’ was clarified in December 2009 by Sir Roger Singleton and the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families.
Q. Should schools and colleges retain documents that are evidence of identity? Previous advice indicated that schools and colleges should destroy this information.
Answer: This advice is correct. Schools and colleges do not have to retain documents that are evidence of identity, once these documents have been verified and the single central register includes the name of the person who did so. However, please see the following FAQ on evidence of the right to work in the UK and the requirements of the UK Border Agency.
Q. Is there still a need for a three-year rolling programme of CRB checks?
Answer: Ofsted's expectations are the legal minimum standard; three-yearly checks are not required by law for staff in schools or in colleges and are therefore unnecessary, but may be a matter for local policy. Further checks are not required for any staff, unless the person has a break in service of more than three months. Although some schools, colleges and local authorities will still operate a policy of repeating checks periodically, this is not required by law. However, three-yearly checks are required of staff in fostering services and adoption services, and for agency staff.
Q. Do sixth form students employed in their own school have to be CRB checked?
Answer: Yes, but the requirement depends on the nature of the work done.
A CRB check is not required for students who:
· volunteer to work in school
or
· have a work placement in school
as part of their studies, or for their own personal development; for example, mentoring younger children or helping with after-school activities such as drama or sports clubs,
This applies both to their own school and to other schools, such as feeder primary schools.
However, if a school pays some of its students to work – for example, as cleaners or lunch-time supervisors – these students become part of the school workforce; they are, therefore, subject to the same workforce regulations as any other school employee. Unless these students are working in school at a time when there are no other children at all on the premises, they will need to be CRB checked.
FROM: CRB NEWS - December 2009
Should I CRB check those working in schools who are not regular school staff?
Chapter 4 of the guidance, ‘Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education’ (2007), sets out the position for visitors, volunteers, governors, supply staff, trainee teachers, tutors visiting trainee teachers*, contractors, other public sector staff who might spend time working in schools and those associated with extended schools. The guidance sets out a sensible and proportionate approach to checking. An excessively cautious approach to checking is not good practice or a good use of scarce resources. The guidance can be found on the DCSF website www.dcsf.gov.uk but a key extract follows:
Brief Extract (Page 41) of ‘Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education’ (2007):
“It is not necessary to obtain a CRB for visitors who will only have contact with children on a ad hoc or irregular basis for short periods of time, or secondary school pupils undertaking voluntary work or work experience in other schools ….(the following do not need CRB checking) - Volunteers or parents who only accompany staff and children on one-off outings or trips that do not involve overnight stays, or who only help at specific one-off events (e.g. a sports day, school fete, college open day)”
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