Any teachers - CRB checking madness

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Is it true that parents can only help out in a class if they have been CRB checked even though they will never be left alone with children and will have limited interaction with the children. Is this a legal requirement?

Yes, I help out in my dds' classes and had to be CRB checked (despite being fully checked and cleared as a teacher previously).

I dont think it is a legal requirement. Think it depends on the school.

We have parental helpers in our Y1 class and they are not CRB checked. They are only allowed to work with children in the classroom and never left unsupervised.

I've helped out at school and preschool without being CRB checked.

Yes in the school I volunteer in (in the younger classes I stay in the classroom .. KS2 we sit in a part of the library to read as its quieter. Still needed the CRB.

School paid for the check

Not sure if its a legal requirement I think its at the schools discretion though it may be one of the boxes to tick on OFSTED to lots of schools are keen to comply.

(Apologies for ifs and maybes)

True, I don't know the legal position, but I do know that the school office got in a proper flap when they lost my clearance letter, which gave me the impression that Ofsted might frown upon uncleared helpers in the classroom.

I know from working for the LEA that it is standard practice in this area, and has been for years and years.

But if the school pays for it - which they do - why would you object? It takes less than 10 minutes.

Interesting. I think ds's class needs an extra adult immediately. School say I probably won't be CRB checked til after Easter. But it sounds possible that they could bend for a few weeks. I was only volunteering to prepare sanck, tidy up, help with coats and gloves etc to free up another adult.

I have to wear a special parent helper badge as well.

Mind you I nick all the teachers biscuits in the staff room to make up for the humiliation.

seeker - I don't object at all - just wanted to get stuck in right now.

Oh, I think if your clearance is pending, that is usually fine. I helped in dd1's swimming lesson while the form was still in the system. Lots of teacher clearances don't come through till they've been in the classroom for a couple of weeks iirc.

I have a CRB check for helping in DD's school, but I didn't have to wait for it to come through before I could go in and help. I think that stems from the fact that although it is "best practice" to CRB check parent helpers, it's not a legal requirement.

I helped out for over a year before they asked for a CRB check.

Maybe they noticed the biscuits.

Things changed slightly in October of last year in preparation for the new ISA checks.

Up until then it was not a legal requirement as long as all volunteers were supervised but best practice to have a check. CRB checks for volunteers are free.

Under the new ISA rules anyone volunteering on a regular basis must be checked.

School could ask for list 99 clearance which would cover you whilst the full CRB was going through according to ds. School could have this faxed to them or even a phone call with fax to follow would mean you would be cleared to volunteer immediately. He is senior advisor for CRB's for our county council so knows his stuff.

Excellent - thanks very much for the info. Just one question- what is ISA?

New rules would explain why head decided in November that no parent was allowed on school premises during school hours unsupervised - he likes rules

I had to wait till my CRB form was back before I could help out, office was quite strict about it. Have never been invited up to the staffroom for biscuits though .

wordsonascreen - I want a badge - I'm so jealous. Maybe I will volunteer but only if I get a special badge.

ISA = Independent Safeguarding Authority. Starts to come in June this year with it becomong compulsory at some set date afterwards (not got booklet with me).

Everyone working or volunteering with children will need to be registered with them by law but unlike CRB these will be portable between organisations.

It isn't a legal requirement, but Ofsted have started to come down heavily on schools who don't do it. I think they are correct to do so.

Yes, the portability of the ISA system will be invaluable. At one point I had a CRB as a childminder (when I was one), a CRB as a governor in school A and a CRB as a parent helper in school B. It was insane.

LL - heads like rules because they are the ones who carry the can if unforeseen things happen. You can't blame them for looking over their shoulders for potential issues.

ofsted will frown heavily on any school that allows non-crb'd volunteers into school.

Safeguarding is now the first thing that is looked at during an ofsted inspection, and if the safeguarding is not up to scratch the school will be given a notice to improve before the remainder of the inspection takes place.

You see I find it all very odd.

Iwas a governor for 3 1/2 years, 2002 till 2005 at my sons school and never had a CRB done?
I then worked at said school from feb 05 till jul 07 had a CRB done for this.

But, when I started the childminding process in feb 08, I was registered by oftsed etc but no new CRB snt to me for Childminding??

Queried this with Ofsted and was basically told not to worry about it!!

I was under the impressinon you had to be CRB checked/should have an CRB certificate for all jobs working with children or the vulnerable etc?

I'm a teacher and have full CRB clearance for my job. My son goes to an infant school less than 2 miles away, in the same town and same education authority. I do not help in his school because I would need another CRB check to go and help as a parent because it's a different role. FFS - I've been teaching for 15 years, never been out of work, and am CRB checked in my role as a teacher, yet I can't be trusted to volunteer in his school? It's utter madness. I went to the office waving my CRB certificate, told them where I worked, was told I'd need another. Paid £15 for the privilege (2 years ago when DS was in nursery), but now need a new one because I haven't helped since. (In that time I had DD, so couldn 't manage it easily.) Aaaaaagh! And now, every time someone doesn't help for more than 3 months, they need a new CRB done. I know they have the children's interests at heart, but am I really a threat?! Oh - and I asked whether my husband, a serving police officer, would need a CRB. Well, I don't need to tell you the answer, do I?! Bonkers!

I found the same as swill - I'm a teacher with a CRB check (obviously). I had to have another CRB check done to volunteer at my dd's school to hear readers, even though it's in the same county as the school where I work.

Even more madness, I once worked for a nursery within a children's centre. I had to have two separate CRB checks done, even though the nursery and children's centre share a building, and one was a service commissioned by the other.