Childcare disqualification requirements

Understand the requirements around childcare disqualification, including who it applies to and what your school's responsibilities are.

Last reviewed on 1 December 2022
School types: All · School phases: Nursery, Primary
Ref: 5328
Contents
  1. What are the childcare disqualification requirements?
  2. Which offences result in disqualification? 
  3. Who do the regulations apply to?
  4. How would my school know if someone is disqualified?
  5. What should we do if someone is disqualified?

What are the childcare disqualification requirements?

People who have been convicted of certain offences are disqualified from providing childcare, or being directly concerned with the management of childcare provision, under the Childcare Regulations 2018.

Your school must make sure that it's not recruiting, or redeploying, someone who's disqualified into a role regulated by the childcare disqualification regulations. It's an offence to knowingly do so. 

Which offences result in disqualification? 

You can find a summary list of offences and orders that result in disqualification in the Department for Education's (DfE's) guidance on disqualification, under ‘disqualification criteria’. See tables A and B in the appendices for a full list.

Disqualification by association

Previously, people working in schools could be disqualified by association if they lived with someone who was disqualified. Under the 2018 regulations, disqualification by association no longer applies to schools. 

The regulations apply to all staff in all schools who work in, or