DBS checks for governors and trustees

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Last reviewed on 16 June 2023
School types: AllSchool phases: AllRef: 31100

Governors, trustees and local governors need an enhanced DBS check

This must include a barred list check if an individual is in 'regulated activity' – for a full definition, see pages 174  to 176 of Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2023.

They also need a section 128 check. Find out more about the required checks in our articles for maintained schools and academies.

Associate members of:

  • Academies (where this refers to people who sit on committees of the trust board but who are not trustees) must have an enhanced DBS check and a section 128 check
  • Maintained schools do not need a DBS check

Clerks don’t need DBS checks, unless they work from a school and have an opportunity for ‘regular contact’ with children, in which case they need an enhanced DBS check with