Single Central Record FAQs (SCR)
Keeping an accurate Single Central Record is an essential part of keeping children safe in
education. Here are some of the frequently asked questions.

I’ve looked at the guidance on Prohibition Checks, but you can’t do a check unless
the person has a Teacher Reference Number. Is that right?
No. It is possible to do checks for people without at TRN, but it must be done manually. This isn’t
as onerous as it sounds.

Could you advise about seeing TA qualifications please? I have suggested to DSLs
that it’s a good idea to check their certificates too. Should their qualifications be on the
Single Central Record?
If someone is saying they have a qualification, they should be able to evidence it. There is no
need to record the qualification on the SCR unless it was an ‘essential criteria’ on the job
description.

Can you please confirm the procedure if a member of staff was
questioned/arrested/convicted of an offence – would we, as their employer, be
automatically notified and if so by whom?
In theory, you will be notified. On arrest the person gives their name and occupation. If the
occupation is related to work with children, then the LADO should be informed and a strategy
meeting is convened, to which the head teacher and employer is invited to attend.

We have a music teacher that comes in 1 day a week for 1 hr to do music; they have
been in for the last 8 months. We have not DBS checked the music teacher as we were
under the impression that because she is supervised at ALL times for that 1 hour. Have
we done the right thing?
If the person is teaching music and is paid to do that, they are effectively a member of staff and
whether supervised or not is irrelevant, as they are in regulated activity. (See Keeping Children
Safe in Education (2016), page 24)
If the person is not paid (a volunteer) and is supervised, then she is not in regulated activity and
you cannot legally ask for a barred list check. However, although it is not legally required, it is
sensible to complete an enhanced DBS check because of the regular contact with children.

Our Single Central Record does not have a barred list column as I thought that it
was done as part of the Enhanced DBS Check?
The Single Central Record should have a column for both the enhanced DBS check and for the
Barred List check (previously known as List 99). The two columns are required because they are
two separate checks, but are often done together. All paid staff will need an enhanced DBS
check and a Barred List check as they are in regulated activity, so you will need to record the
date of the check in both columns.
For people who are not in regulated activity, for example, governors, you will record the
enhanced DBS check, but enter ‘n/a’ in the Barred List column. It is illegal to do a barred list
check for someone who isn’t in regulated activity.

How often in a school year should the prohibition checks be undertaken?
There is no need to revisit the prohibition checks, either on a statutory basis or even on practical
level. Misconduct by an existing employee leading to prohibition is something your school would
be well aware of as the head (at least) would be involved in the prohibition hearing (and well
before it).

Is there a recommended time limit for how long ex-staff should stay on the Single
Central Record after they have left a school?
There is no statutory requirement to keep them at all. Most schools just stick them into a ‘leavers’
spreadsheet separate to the main Single Central Record, and leave them there.

Do you have a template of best practise in relation the Single Central Record
please; I have contacted OFSTED who have explained that the SCR was an internal matter
and not something they could assist with.
There is no national guidance on the format for the Single Central Record, which is why Ofsted
aren’t able to give you a clear answer. What should be included on the SCR is set out in Keeping
Children Safe in Education.
A Single Central Record Template is available from the education advisor to help you help
ensure that you are compliant with the statutory guidance.

Should it be the Headteacher who signs this off regularly as compliant/accurate or
should it be the DSL?
It doesn’t matter who monitors the SCR. Sometimes it’s the Head, sometimes the DSL,
sometimes a governor. Whoever does it though should know what they are looking for.
Governors are required to be assured that the SCR is correct, so the monitoring check should be
reported to governors and minuted.

Does legislation, statutory guidance, regulation, require DBS checks to be renewed
for existing staff, volunteers and if so at what frequency.
There is no requirement to redo Enhanced DBS checks, unless there has been a break in service
of more than three months. Keeping Children Safe in Education (2016) refers to this in paragraph
105.
Inspecting safeguarding in early years, education and skills settings (2016) notes that it is not a
requirement to request a [new] Enhanced DBS unless there are concerns about an existing
member of staff’s suitability or a person moves from non-regulated to regulated activity. (see
page 26)

What about staff who have been employed at the school along time or are missing a
reference?
Schools should consider undertaking a risk assessment for historical appointments and missing
references, examples of risk assessments are available on the SSE Education Safeguarding site