This policy outlines St Mary's checks and procedures concerning Initial Teacher Training (ITT) QTS students (referred to as trainees below) and the compliance requirements set out in Section 3 of Keeping Children Safe in Education, including enhanced DBS checks which are confirmed to schools by letter.
Please note: Where reference is made to salaried trainees, this includes Assessment Only candidates and Teaching Apprentices.
The University's responsibilities:
- Maintain and implement clear safeguarding protocols agreed across the partnership.
- Ensure all entrants to ITT QTS programmes in the UK undergo Enhanced DBS, Children’s Barred List, Childcare Disqualification and Prohibition Order checks. These will normally be completed before any placement begins.
- Ensure all entrants to iQTS programmes undergo an ICPC and/or Enhanced DBS, Prohibition Order checks and Children’s Barred List checks (or international equivalent).
- Obtain certificates of good conduct/references and overseas police checks for any period of 6 months or more spent outside the UK.
- Evaluate the suitability of trainees based on DBS outcomes; refer cases with any disclosure to the University Safeguarding Committee.
- Provide schools with written confirmation that non-salaried trainees have completed Criminal Record and Barred List checks and are suitable for placement.
- Re-check trainees who return from a leave of absence of 3 months or more.
- If a DBS disclosure is delayed, conduct a Barred List check, and notify placement schools in writing before the placement starts.
- Keep Professional Co-ordinating Mentors informed of the progress of any outstanding checks once the trainee has started placement.
- Maintain a central record confirming completed safeguarding checks for all relevant trainees.
- Comply with data protection requirements by ensuring no copies of DBS disclosures are made except for suitability decisions.
- Remain vigilant throughout the duration of all programmes for potential safeguarding concerns.
- Inform trainees of their continuing duty to declare any event that may affect their suitability to work with children.
- Refer trainees to the Safeguarding Committee if they are arrested, charged, convicted, or investigated for an offence during the programme. The committee will consider Fitness to Practise and may recommend continuation, suspension, or termination. Schools will be notified in all such cases.
- Report upheld safeguarding cases to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO).
- Notify the DfE and seek DBS guidance where a trainee is removed (or would have been removed) due to harm or risk of harm to children.
The school or setting's responsibilities:
- Recognise that DBS checks for non-salaried trainees are the responsibility of the University.
- Confirm that any salaried trainees have completed: a satisfactory DBS check, a prohibition order check, and childcare disqualification checks (where applicable).
- For iQTS trainees, confirm in writing that the school has applied safer recruitment procedures and judged the trainee suitable to work with children.
- Where a DBS disclosure is pending, exercise DfE permitted discretion to allow the trainee to start, ensuring appropriate supervision, providing that all other relevant checks are complete.
- Not request or retain copies of DBS disclosures.
- Recognise that University tutors who are not engaged in regulated activity are not required to present a DBS certificate provided they are supervised under standard visitor risk-assessment arrangements. Note: The University completes DBS checks on all subject and link tutors as standard practice.
- Report any safeguarding concerns involving a trainee to the St Mary’s School of Education Lead Safeguarding Officer or the Designated Safeguarding Officer (LSO/DSO).
Our procedures for scrutinising declarations of criminal convictions at both the admissions and post-enrolment stage evidences the above policy in ensuring trainees are suitable to work with children.