Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Baroness Morris of Yardley (Labour) on Thursday, 30 November 2017, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 14 December 2017. It was answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative) on Thursday, 14 December 2017 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Out-of-school Education: Teachers

Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government what checks are carried out on teachers working in unregistered schools to ensure that those teachers are suitable people to work with children.

Answer

Anyone who teaches, trains, instructs, cares for, or supervises children should have appropriate background checks undertaken by employers as part of their recruitment process, and would be eligible for a criminal records check. An unsupervised person undertaking these activities on a regular basis would also be eligible for a barred list check, as part of this process; and it is an offence for an employer to knowingly employ someone in such a role if they have been barred. It is equally an offence for that individual to undertake such activities.

In addition to a criminal records check, consideration of other available information, such as references from previous employers, would be considered good practice as part of any organisation’s recruitment decision and as part of their broader safeguarding policies.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL3785
Session
2017-19
Subjects
Vetting Teachers Out-of-school education
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk