Safer Recruitment Policy

Contents

Introduction        3

Practices        4

Stage 1: Advertising and Inviting Applications        4

Stage 2: Pre -Application Pack        4

Stage 3: Applicant Selection/ Short-Listing        4

Stage 4 Interview        5

Stage 5 Successful Candidate: Pre Employment Checks        6

Prevent        6

Employment history and references        6

Stage 6 Induction        7

Stage 7 Leaving Employment of the School        7

Notes        8

Obligations of the School        8

Central Record of Pre-Employment Checks        8

Rehabilitation of Offenders Disclosure        8

Data Protection Issues        9

Peripatetic Staff        9

Introduction

The safe recruitment of staff is the first step in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our children. Sunningdale School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This is achieved through effective recruitment and retention of competent, motivated staff members who are suited to, and competent in, their roles.

This policy ensures compliance with Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE 2024) and establishes minimum requirements to:

• Attract the best possible applicants to vacancies.
• Deter prospective applicants unsuitable for work with children.
• Identify and reject applicants unsuitable for work with children.

This policy now includes updated safeguarding requirements related to online searches, data protection, mental health considerations, and safeguarding LGBTQ+ students.

Practices

The following procedures and practices are in place to ensure the safe recruitment of staff.

Stage 1: Advertising and Inviting Applications

All job advertisements will state:

“Sunningdale School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. The post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, satisfactory references, and other recruitment checks as appropriate, including an online search.”

Stage 2: Pre-Application Pack

Prospective applicants are supplied with:

• Application Form
• Job Description & Person Specification
• School Introduction
• Department Information
• Safer Recruitment Policy
• Safeguarding Policy

Applicants must complete the application form in full, including a self-declaration of any criminal record or information that would make them unsuitable to work with children.

Stage 3: Applicant Selection/ Short-Listing

Candidates for the post and suited to the job description and person specification following analysis of their applications will be short-listed following consultation between the Headmaster and other staff involved in the interviews process.

Online searches will be conducted on all short-listed candidates before interviews to identify any publicly available information relevant to safeguarding.

Telephone or video interviews may be used at the shortlisting stage to establish suitability for interview but will not be a substitute for a face-to-face meeting as part of the final selection/interview process. Telephone or video interviews will only suffice for the purpose of employing GAP students.

Where possible, references are taken up before the short-listing stage. However should a candidate progress to selection and interview stage prior to their receipt, references will remain a matter of scrutiny and be probed during interview. All appointments are subject to satisfactory references.

Any gaps in employment history must be explored during interviews.

Stage 4 Interview 

Prior to embarking on the interview process and on point of arrival, candidates selected for interview will have to provide:

• Provide proof of identity and right to work in the UK.
• Present original qualification certificates.
• Complete a self-declaration regarding criminal records and safeguarding suitability.

Candidates will be asked to complete a self-declaration of their criminal record or information that would make them unsuitable to work with children.

The form requires candidates to state:

• if they have a criminal history;
• whether they are included on the barred list;
• whether they are prohibited from teaching;
• whether they are prohibited from taking part in the management of an independent school;
• information about any criminal offences committed in any country in line with the law as applicable in England and Wales, not the law in their country of origin or where they were convicted;
• if they are known to the police and children’s social care;
• have they been disqualified from providing childcare;
• any relevant overseas information.

The interview process will seek to assess each candidate in terms of fulfilling the requirements of the post and the questions will range to encompass subject knowledge, skills and competence, ability to fulfil the requirements of the tutor role, and to contribute to the extra and extended curriculum.

Significantly in terms of safer recruitment practices at least the Headmaster or Deputy Head will be involved in the interview process, and will meet personally with each applicant with the specific responsibility of exploring attitudes towards working with children. However, it is likely that other interviewers will probe such issues and also have training in safe recruitment procedures.

Candidates will always be required:

• to explain satisfactorily any gaps in employment;

• to explain satisfactorily any anomalies or discrepancies in the information available to the interviewers;
• to declare any information that is likely to appear on a DBS disclosure;
• to demonstrate their capacity to safeguard and protect the welfare of children and young people
• demonstrate their alignment with Prevent Duty.

Stage 5 Successful Candidate: Pre Employment Checks

Further to those checks at the point of interview the School will:

• verify a candidate’s identity using either:

• birth certificate
• passport
• driving licence

• obtain (via the applicant) an enhanced DBS check (including children’s barred list information, for those who will be engaging in regulated activity with children). Enhanced DBS checks for volunteers are free of charge.
• verify the candidate’s mental and physical fitness to carry out their work responsibilities by asking the candidate to complete a medical declaration form
• verify the person’s right to work in the UK, including EU nationals (further advice available on Gov.UK
• if the person has lived or worked outside the UK, make any further checks the school or college consider appropriate
• verify professional qualifications, as appropriate

In cases when the DBS check has not arrived prior to employment start date, a member of staff may be permitted to start work providing the following are in place:

• A barred list check has been successfully carried out
• A risk assessment has been conducted
• Appropriate supervision is in place to safeguard pupils

In addition, the School will:

• check that a person taking up a management position as described at paragraph 237 is not subject to a section 128 direction made by the Secretary of State;
• ensure that an applicant to be employed to carry out teaching work is not subject to a prohibition order issued by the Secretary of State (see paragraph 234 for prohibition checks or any sanction or restriction imposed (that remains current) by the GTCE (see paragraph 236), before its abolition in March 2012
• ensure an online search is carried out on each candidate

Prevent

The school will assess whether or not the candidate is suitable under the Prevent guidelines. This will form part of the interview process. Consideration will be given as to whether the application form should contain a section on this.

Employment history and references

References are sought directly from the referee. Where possible, referees will complete the School’s reference form although other formats are accepted providing they contain the relevant information.

As a guide Sunningdale will:

• not accept open references e.g. to whom it may concern;
• not rely on applicants to obtain their reference;
• ensure any references are from the candidate’s current employer and have been completed by a senior person with appropriate authority (if the referee is school or college based, the reference should be confirmed by the headteacher/principal as accurate in respect to disciplinary investigations);
• obtain verification of the individual’s most recent relevant period of employment where the applicant is not currently employed;
• secure a reference from the relevant employer from the last time the applicant worked with children (if not currently working with children), if the applicant has never worked with children, then ensure a reference from their current employer;
• always verify any information with the person who provided the reference;
• ensure electronic references originate from a legitimate source;
• contact referees to clarify content where information is vague or insufficient information is provided;
• compare the information on the application form with that in the reference and take up any discrepancies with the candidate;
• establish the reason for the candidate leaving their current or most recent post; and,
• ensure any concerns are resolved satisfactorily before appointment is confirmed.

In all cases of applicants being invited to interview, referees will be contacted by telephone or e-mail in order to clarify any anomalies or discrepancies. A detailed written note will be kept of such exchanges and retained on the personal file of the individual appointed.

In all cases of applicants being invited to interview, previous employers who have not been named as referees will be contacted in order to clarify any anomalies or discrepancies. A detailed written note of such exchanges by the Headmaster’s secretary and will be retained on the personal file of the individual appointed.

Stage 6 Induction

New staff must complete induction training, including:

• Safeguarding policies and procedures.
• Child protection and anti-bullying training.
• Mental health awareness and support for students.
• Online safety responsibilities.

Regular meetings will be held during the first twelve months of employment between the new staff and the Headmaster, Deputy Head or Headmaster's wife who is responsible for the recruitment of the Domestic Staff.

Stage 7 Leaving Employment of the School

Employees dismissed or resigning in circumstances that may have led to dismissal due to misconduct involving safeguarding concerns will be referred to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and, where applicable, the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA).

Notes

Obligations of the School

• maintain a central record of recruitment and vetting checks, in line with the DfE requirements (see below)
• require staff who are convicted or cautioned for any offence during their employment with the School to notify the Headmaster in writing of the offence and penalty.
• ensure that the terms of any contract with a contractor or agency requires them to adopt and implement measures described in this procedure. The school will monitor the compliance with these measures.
• Ensure safeguarding responsibilities extend to alternative provisions
• respond to changes in legislation required to ensure the safeguarding of children and review policy and practice in the light of developments.
• carry out an annual review of this policy irrespective of legislation

Central Record of Pre-Employment Checks

In addition to the various staff records kept in school and in individual personnel files, a single central record of recruitment and vetting checks is kept. This is kept up to date and retained on the personal file of the individual by the Headmaster's secretary.

This record contains details of checks:

• All staff who are employed to work at the school;
• All staff who are employed as supply staff to the school whether employed directly by the school or through an agency;

• All others who have been chosen by the school to work in regular contact with children. This will cover volunteers, governors who also work as volunteers within the school, and people brought into the school to provide additional teaching or instruction for pupils but who are not staff members, e.g. a specialist sports coach.

Rehabilitation of Offenders Disclosure

All posts within Sunningdale School are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Applicants will be required to declare spent and unspent convictions, cautions and bind-overs, including those regarded as spent and have an Enhanced Criminal Records Disclosure. A previously issued Criminal Records Disclosure Certificate will only be accepted in certain restricted circumstances. Such disclosures will not be considered as part of the short-listing process. They will become part of the interview process in order to allow the candidate the opportunity to discuss the matter. Such information will not necessarily bar a candidate from employment. If the candidate is not successful, then the information will not be retained and destroyed after six months. Candidates do not need to disclose filtered offences.

The Criminal Records Bureau has published a Code of Practice with accompanying explanatory guide for information. Sunningdale School is committed to ensuring that it meets the requirements of the Criminal Records Bureau in relation to the processing, handling and security of Disclosure information.

Data Protection Issues

Employees are entitled to see and receive, if requested, copies of their employment references. Further disclosed information will be treated in confidence and not used against applicants unfairly.

Supply Staff

For the purposes of creating the record of checks for supply staff provided through a supply Agency, the school will request written confirmation from the supply Agency that it has satisfactorily completed all relevant checks. A copy of the DBS disclosure certificate must be supplied. Information disclosed as part of a DBS Disclosure will be treated as confidential. Identity checks will be carried out by Sunningdale to confirm that the individual arriving at the school is the individual that the agency has referred.

Peripatetic Staff

For the purposes of creating the record of checks for peripatetic staff (for music, sports etc.) the school will require all necessary checks and DBS requirements are fulfilled.

Key Updates in This Version

• Compliance with KCSiE 2024.
• Online searches mandated for all shortlisted candidates.
• Prevent Duty explicitly assessed during interviews.
• Greater emphasis on mental health as a safeguarding concern.
• Early help considerations expanded.
• Explicit commitment to supporting LGBTQ+ students.
• Greater clarity on data protection and information handling.

This policy is reviewed annually and updated as necessary to reflect changes in safeguarding legislation and best practices.