Marches Academy Trust - Governor's role using the single central record

Governors monitoring the Single Central Record Louise Smith, HR Operations Manager

marchesacademytrust.co.uk

Purpose To reinforce information and guidance Governors need to know about the Single Central Record (SCR)

Aims To understand: - who should be included on the SCR and what & how information should be recorded - Governors role in monitoring its compliance and what it involves

Background & Legislation Now part of Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE) maintaining a single central keeping record (SCR) became mandatory in 2007.

Some times referred to as the Single Central Register, it became a statutory requirement for all schools (including Multi Academy Trusts) to record recruitment activities for staff engaged to work in their school.

Certain data such as criminal record checks are mandatory.

The SCR is a live document which school must update whenever new staff are recruited or join the school. Ofsted inspectors will ask to check the SCR will expect all mandatory columns to be complete for all staff types who work for or regularly visit the school/are currently at the school. Individuals should be removed from the single central record when they have left employment.

Ofsted expectations for Trust Leaders ▪

keep a single central record (paper or electronic)

▪

ensure it covers all staff

▪

ensure it covers all others with regular contact with children including volunteers

▪

if school is early years provider, keep information set

out in statutory framework ▪

ensures school prepares for safeguarding inspection

Roles & Responsibilities ▪

Board of Trustees

▪

Safeguarding Link Governors – strategic

monitoring…

▪

Headteachers & School Leaders - operational monitoring….

▪

Administrators & PAs – completion of ….

Who must be recorded on the SCR ▪ Staff who are employed directly by each Trust School, including teachers trainee teachers on salaried routes, all supply/agency staff who work in the Trust schools. Also: ▪ Any volunteer who works regularly with children and always include those who are engaged in ‘regulated activity’, ▪ Governors & Trustees of the academy Trust, ▪ People brought into the school to provide regular additional teaching or instruction but who are not staff members, such as Sports Coaches, Peripatetic Music teachers (not from Local Authority) and Artists,

▪ Regular contract staff such as contract cleaners or caterers, ▪ Trust Shared Services Team staff.

Regulated Activity Includes..

A) teaching, training, instructing, caring for (see (c) below) or supervising children if the person is unsupervised, or providing advice or guidance on well-being, or driving a vehicle only for children; B) work for a limited range of establishments (known as ‘specified places’, which include schools and colleges), with the opportunity for contact with children, but not including work done by supervised volunteers; C) relevant personnel care or health care provided by or provided under the supervision of a health care professional. [Personnel care includes helping a child for reasons of age, illness or disability, with eating drinking, or in connection with toileting, washing, bathing and dressing. Health care means care for children provided by, or under the direction of supervision of a regulated health care professional.]

Staff Types Online SCR..

Permanent (teaching) Permanent (not teaching) Casual Staff Temporary Volunteer Agency Contractors Governors Other

What must be recorded on the SCR? ▪ Name of person • Name of person Address • Date of Birth • Evidence of ID (Inc. photograph) • Barred List Check (only if in Regulated Activity) and date received • A DBS check/certificate; including the level of the DBS check • Prohibition Check (Teachers/People with QTS) date checked • Overseas Checks needed/undertaken. Type and date.

• Qualification(s) Required, evidenced and date checked • Right to Work in UK Date Checked • S128 Prohibition Check for management positions in Independent schools (including MATs)

What must be recorded on the SCR Under each of these headings the guidance states you should record: ▪ what has been seen; ▪ when it was seen, and, ▪ by whom it was seen.

What other information must be recorded –but not on SCR? - references - medical checks - child care disqualification - scrutiny of employment history - safeguarding training

Online SCR -status of check by staff Type MMAT HR maintain the status of checks by staff type: M- mandatory (statutory) M* (required by MMAT) O- Optional (check must be assessed) NR-not required NR** (covered by agency safeguarding) NR*** (may be needed but held elsewhere)

▪ What strategic monitoring questions should you ask?

-How and where do we store the SCR –is it secure?

-How frequently do you check it?

-When is the last time you checked the SCR? -Have you checked for errors?

-are new staff recorded?

-are volunteers assessed and recorded ?

-are all relevant fields on the register completed for each listed person?

When is it appropriate for you to check the SCR? DfE confirm that governors/trustees only need to check the SCR when safeguarding non-compliance is identified. …

-as a board/ committee you are concerned that a Trust school is not complying with safer recruitment requirements /monitoring the SCR closely enough, or -as result of Ofsted inspection or other internal audit

What else are we doing to ensure the SCR is accurate?

• SCR training rolled out to schools summer 2021 for Headteachers/Head of School/Pas/other administrators involved in recruitment activities • SCR training programme rolled out to schools summer 2021 • OSCR system training

• SCR Toolkit (with Risk Assessment Templates) • Informal HR audits

• Trust SCR Audit (first January 2021 next due January 2022) • Governors Bite size SCR training/ & Monitoring Guidance

hat would the Ofsted inspector want to see?

Any questions?