DBS and other required checks for governors and trustees

Download a summary of the requirements

Download our summary of the requirements for pre-employment checks for school governors. 

KeyDoc: summary of checks for governors - maintained

Your governing board is responsible for applying for these checks, but in practice, your school admin staff will probably do it on their behalf. 

Get more detail on the required checks for different types of governors and trustees below. 

School governors

What checks are required? Governors must have an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.  If they already have a DBS certificate, it's up to your employer (get information on this here) to decide whether to accept it or ask for a new one. An individual is disqualified from holding office as a governor if they refuse a request for a DBS check. This may include a barred list check if the governor is involved in regulated