What this policy needs to do
As a governing board, you need to adopt robust recruitment procedures that deter and prevent unsuitable people from applying for, or securing, employment or volunteering opportunities in your school.
You also need to make sure that those involved with recruiting and employing staff to work with children have received appropriate safer recruitment training. Find out more about your role in safer recruitment.
Whether your school covers safer recruitment as part of its child protection policy, or has a standalone safer recruitment policy, the document should make clear how your school achieves these aims. For example, it might cover your school's procedures for:
- Advertising
- Application forms
- Shortlisting
- Employment history and references
- Interview and selection
- Pre-appointment vetting checks (including for staff, volunteers and governors)
Key questions to challenge the policy
You need to ask challenging questions when the policy comes to you for approval, so you can satisfy yourself that the policy-reviewing process was robust.