DBS Check for Teachers, Education, Early Years & Child care

DBS Checks for Teachers and Education and Early Years Learning

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DBS Checks for Teachers and Education

Types of organisations that need DBS Checks for Teachers and Education Staff

A wide range of roles in education and early years settings require DBS checks to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.

These include, but are not limited to:

Schools — Primary, secondary, independent and special schools require DBS checks for teachers, support staff and volunteers who work with children. This includes teachers, teaching assistants, administrative staff, support workers, lunchtime supervisors and governors who have regular or unsupervised contact with pupils.

Nurseries and Early Years Centres — These settings provide care and education for young children in a safe and nurturing environment. Staff working in these settings must have DBS checks to show they are suitable to safeguard children as part of safe recruitment practices.

Primary and Secondary Schools — Teachers, teaching assistants, support staff and volunteers in these schools all need DBS checks to protect pupils and meet statutory safeguarding duties.

Childminders and Home-based Childcare Providers — People providing care and education in a home environment must complete DBS checks to ensure children are safe and recruitment is carried out correctly.

Special Educational Needs (SEN) Schools and Services — Staff supporting children with additional needs or disabilities in tailored educational settings must have DBS checks to safeguard these vulnerable learners.

After-school Clubs and Holiday Play Schemes — Staff and volunteers providing activities outside of school hours need DBS checks to maintain a safe environment for children.

Child and Family Support Services — Professionals offering guidance and assistance to families and children in need are required to have DBS checks to uphold safeguarding standards.

Educational Psychologists and Therapy Services — Specialists who deliver support to children in schools must hold DBS checks to protect the welfare of those they work with.

School Transport Services — Drivers and escorts who are responsible for transporting children need DBS checks to help ensure their safety during journeys.

Governors and School Volunteers — Anyone with regular or unsupervised access to children in schools must have a DBS check to support a safe school community.

Youth Clubs and Community Education Providers — Staff and volunteers who deliver educational and recreational activities to young people are required to have DBS checks to protect those in their care.

Ensure Safety and Compliance with DBS Checks for Education and Early Years

We specialise in delivering DBS checks for education professionals and those working in nurseries and early years settings. Whether you are recruiting new staff, onboarding volunteers or managing existing employees in schools, nurseries or childcare centres, our comprehensive background screening helps safeguard children and ensures your organisation meets all legal and regulatory obligations.

A DBS check for education is a detailed background screening process that discloses any criminal records, cautions or other relevant information about individuals applying to work with children and young people in educational or childcare environments. This check is essential for protecting pupils, young children and the wider school community by ensuring that only trustworthy and suitable individuals are allowed into these sensitive settings.

In nurseries and early years centres, where safeguarding is crucial, employing staff who have passed robust DBS checks gives parents and regulators confidence that children are safe and cared for by responsible professionals. Our DBS checks help schools and nurseries maintain a secure environment, meet statutory safeguarding requirements and build trust within their communities.

Whether you are hiring teachers, teaching assistants, nursery practitioners, administrative staff or volunteers, our DBS screening service supports your commitment to creating safe, nurturing and compliant learning environments for every child.

The Children's Barred List Explained

The Children’s Barred List is an official register in the UK containing the names of individuals who are legally prohibited from working with children. It plays a key role in safeguarding by ensuring that unsuitable individuals cannot be employed in roles involving direct contact with children, such as positions in schools, nurseries and childcare settings. Anyone included on the Children’s Barred List is not permitted to carry out regulated activity with children, which covers many roles in education and early years environments.

Individuals are placed on the Children’s Barred List after investigations identify them as a risk to children, often because of previous harmful behaviour or misconduct. The Disclosure and Barring Service manages the list and reviews all evidence carefully before making a decision. This process ensures that only those who genuinely pose a risk to children are barred from working in education or childcare, where safeguarding is a top priority.

When hiring for education or early years roles, employers must carry out an Enhanced DBS check with a Children’s Barred List check. This enhanced screening provides detailed criminal record information and confirms whether the candidate appears on the Children’s Barred List. This allows organisations to verify that individuals are not only free of disqualifying offences but are also not barred from regulated activities with children. This step is crucial for maintaining safe and secure learning and care environments.

Including the Children’s Barred List in Enhanced DBS checks ensures a thorough safeguarding process, adding an important layer of protection for children in educational and early years settings. It helps organisations comply with legal obligations under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act and gives parents, carers and employers confidence that only suitable individuals are trusted to work with children.

How to get for DBS Checks for Education and Early Years

EasyDBS is an advanced AI-powered web platform designed to make it easy for education and early years organisations to manage their DBS check processes online. The system automates and supports every stage, offering intelligent guidance from registration through to the delivery of results.

Getting Started

After your organisation signs up, you will receive secure login credentials. You can then add internal users, such as HR or safeguarding officers, and assign them the appropriate permissions to manage DBS checks for teachers, staff and volunteers.

Initiating a DBS Check for Education and Early Years

To start a DBS check for a childcare or education role, simply enter the applicant’s name and email address into the platform. The applicant will receive an email invitation to access their application form.

Once they click the link and set their password, applicants are guided through the form with AI-driven validation that helps prevent common mistakes such as incorrect National Insurance numbers or incomplete address histories.

ID Verification and Submission

When the applicant has submitted their details, you will be notified to complete the ID verification stage. You review and confirm the identification documents presented, and the platform’s intelligent checks ensure that all legal requirements are met, alerting you when the correct combination of documents has been recorded.

At this stage you will also be prompted to specify:

The required level of DBS check (Basic, Standard or Enhanced)
The applicant’s job role
Whether a Barred List check is needed
Whether the position is voluntary
Whether the role is home-based

The AI system further minimises errors by checking the eligibility of the information you provide.

Payment Options

Once all details are finalised, payment can be made using one of several flexible options:

Pay as you go
Prepaid credit bundles
Delegated billing, where the applicant receives the invoice and pays directly. This is ideal for organisations where education or childcare staff cover their own DBS costs.

Submission and Results

Once payment or credits are confirmed, the DBS application is securely and promptly submitted to the Disclosure and Barring Service. Both your organisation and the applicant will receive notifications, including a unique application reference number and a link to track the progress of the check in real time.

When the process is complete:

The applicant receives the official paper DBS certificate by post.
Your organisation receives an electronic summary of the results through the platform.

Throughout the process, the platform’s AI keeps all parties updated with timely notifications, ensuring transparency and confidence at every stage.

Need to ask a question before registering…?

If you are already a customer, please login and use the regular support channels on the platform

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to the most popular questions we get about DBS Checks for Educational organisations

Who needs an Enhanced DBS Check in an Educational Organisation?

In an educational organisation, an Enhanced DBS check is required for anyone engaged in regulated activity with children. This usually includes the following roles:

Teachers and Teaching Assistants — Individuals directly responsible for teaching or supervising children.

Support Staff — Roles such as lunchtime supervisors, classroom helpers and learning mentors who have regular contact with pupils.

Volunteers — Those who work regularly or unsupervised with children in schools or early years settings.

Administrative Staff — If they have unsupervised access to children or handle sensitive pupil information.

School Governors and Trustees — When their role involves regular contact with children or access to confidential information.

Contractors and Third-party Staff — Workers such as cleaners or maintenance personnel who are frequently on school premises and have contact with children.

After-school Club and Holiday Scheme Staff — Those responsible for supervising or caring for children outside regular school hours.

The Enhanced DBS check usually also includes a check against the Children’s Barred List to confirm that the individual is not legally barred from working with children.

How long does a DBS Check for Education take?

Most Enhanced DBS checks for education roles are completed within ten working days.

Enhanced DBS checks for education are processed by local police forces. While some are completed very quickly, sometimes even on the same day, they generally take longer than Standard or Basic DBS checks.

The fastest turnaround we have seen for an Enhanced DBS check in an education setting is approximately 90 minutes.

Standard DBS checks for education staff are usually quicker, with most completed within three to five working days.

What is the Children's Barred List?

The Children’s Barred List is an official register in the UK containing the names of individuals who are legally prohibited from working with children. It is maintained by the Disclosure and Barring Service as part of the national safeguarding system.

Being placed on the Children’s Barred List means that a person is banned from carrying out regulated activities with children because of concerns about their suitability. This usually follows investigations into harmful or inappropriate behaviour. The list helps protect children by ensuring that anyone who poses a risk cannot legally be employed in roles such as teaching, childcare, or any position involving direct and unsupervised contact with children.

When employers carry out Enhanced DBS checks for roles involving children, they are informed whether the applicant is on the barred list. This is an essential safeguard, required by law for many positions in education, childcare, health and social care, to ensure unsuitable individuals are not placed in contact with children.

Do non-Teaching Staff require a DBS?

Yes, it isn’t just DBS Check for Teachers that needs consideration. Contractors and tradespeople working on school sites usually need an Enhanced DBS check depending on the nature of their work and the level of contact they have with children.

If their role involves regulated activity, meaning unsupervised and frequent contact with children, they will require an Enhanced DBS check with a Children’s Barred List check. This can include roles such as cleaners or catering staff.

This requirement applies to both regular employees and contractors who work during school hours or in areas where children are present without supervision.

If a contractor is only on site for a very short period, such as a day or two, the organisation may decide that a DBS check is not necessary.

However, regular external contractors, such as electricians or maintenance workers who visit frequently or are likely to spend more than a few days on site, will generally need an Enhanced DBS check.

What is the DBS Update Service, and does it apply to DBS Checks for Education?

The DBS Update Service is a subscription service offered by the Disclosure and Barring Service that helps education professionals and employers keep DBS checks up to date and easily verify their status online. It turns a one-time Enhanced DBS certificate into a continuously monitored record.

The service is available for all levels of DBS checks, including those for teachers, teaching assistants, school support staff and volunteers working with children.

After receiving an Enhanced DBS certificate, an individual can subscribe to the Update Service for £16 per year. The subscription must be started within 30 days of the certificate’s issue date or during the DBS application process using the unique reference number.

Once subscribed, the same DBS certificate can be used for multiple education roles, as long as each role requires the same level of check and applies to the same workforce category, such as working with children in schools or early years settings. The subscription must be renewed each year to remain active.

With the individual’s consent, employers can perform a free online status check to confirm whether the Enhanced DBS certificate is still valid. The system will either show “This Certificate is up to date” or indicate that the “Certificate needs to be renewed” or advise to “Contact DBS” if there are changes that may require further action.

To complete a status check, employers need the certificate number, the individual’s full name and date of birth, along with their permission.

More information can be found here.

What is Regulated Activity relating to Children?

Regulated activity relating to children is a legal term that defines the types of work or roles involving frequent or intensive contact with children. These roles require enhanced safeguarding checks under UK law.

Regulated activity includes:

Teaching, training, instructing, caring for or supervising children on a regular basis
Providing advice or guidance on physical, emotional or educational well-being
Driving a vehicle used only for children, such as school transport
Unsupervised work with children carried out frequently, intensively or involving overnight stays

Key points to consider:

Frequency: This usually means the work is carried out regularly, such as once a week or more, or intensively, meaning four or more days within a 30-day period.

Supervision: Work that is supervised by someone who is already engaged in regulated activity may not itself count as regulated activity.

Purpose: The activity must relate to children and involve a level of responsibility or authority over them.

Anyone carrying out regulated activity with children must have an Enhanced DBS check that includes a check of the Children’s Barred List to ensure they are suitable to work with vulnerable young people.

How long is a DBS Check in Education valid for?

A DBS check in education or any other sector does not have an official expiry date. It reflects the individual’s criminal record status only up to the date the certificate was issued.

This means the information on the DBS certificate is accurate as of that date. Unlike a passport, it does not expire after a set period, but it also does not record any offences or cautions that occur afterwards. For this reason, schools and early years providers should review the issue date and decide whether a new check is needed based on how old the certificate is and the requirements of the role.

In education and early years settings, it is considered good practice, and in some cases required by regulatory bodies or safeguarding policies, to renew DBS checks regularly. This is often done every three years to help maintain safeguarding standards.