Ofsted slams poor CRB checks on school staff

22 Jun 06
Town halls have been urged to tighten up their record keeping after an investigation by the education watchdog revealed that few schools and councils are keep a reliable and accessible list of criminal checks on staff.

23 June 2006

Town halls have been urged to tighten up their record keeping after an investigation by the education watchdog revealed that few schools and councils are keep a reliable and accessible list of criminal checks on staff.

An Ofsted report published this week criticised schools and local authorities for a failure to demonstrate robust record keeping. Although most said they checked their staff but being unable to produce evidence to back up these claims.

Chief Inspector of Schools Maurice Smith said: 'Currently, everybody thinks that somebody else is doing this or that it is somebody else's job when, in fact, hardly anybody has secure evidence that any of the simplest tasks have been completed at all, or when.

'The repeated recommendation of inquiries into the deaths of vulnerable children urge secure procedures and good record-keeping as the backbone of safeguarding such children. While it is highly likely that checks have been made, schools which do not have robust record-keeping in place cannot demonstrate that the safeguarding of children is secure.'

School and council leaders held their hands up, acknowledging the seriousness of the issue. Les Lawrence, chair of the Local Government Association's Children & Young People's Board said ensuring schoolchildren were safe was a priority for councils.

'Where local authorities provide schools directly with HR support, all measures are take to maintain records of [Criminal Records Bureau] checks.

'Where schools carry out their own checks, council proactively encourage them to comply with all regulations but cannot force them to do so,' he said.

'It is, however important that the authorities are able to prove that these checks have been done and if there are gaps then they need to be addressed.'

John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, agreed that it was necessary for schools to be seen to be carrying out checks thoroughly. But he added: 'The checks are costly and time consuming for schools and colleges, so I urge the government to accelerate the introduction of the online checking system, which will make checking very much easier.'

There was a quick reaction from the Department for Education and Skills who announced some new measures, which included making checks on record keeping part of Ofsted's inspections. Revised guidance will also be issued to schools and colleges shortly, clarifying responsibilities.

Children's minister Beverley Hughes said: 'The government has responsibility to get the system right but any system is only as good as those who are using it. All employers, including schools, have a crucial role – indeed the ultimate responsibility – in ensuring that recruitment procedures and practices are rigorous and thorough.'

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