Job offers and pre-employment checks

Understand which checks you must carry out on agency staff such as supply teachers. Find out whether you need to get DBS certificates and what to record on the SCR, and download a template form to record written confirmation of checks.

Use our checklist to stay compliant with all the pre-employment checks you need to carry out and record for new staff, volunteers, governors and trustees.

You must make 'appropriate' further checks on staff who have lived or worked outside the UK. Find out how to mitigate risk early on in the process, assess risks with your candidates and what 'appropriate' further checks you can carry out.

You must check qualifications for new teachers. Find out how to carry out these checks.

Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) recommends you consider doing an online search on shortlisted candidates to explore at interview. Find out how to search fairly and effectively, and download our form to record your online searches during recruitment.

Download our template job offer letter to save yourself some time and make sure you're including the right information. You'll also find more information on written statements of terms and conditions of employment.

You need to verify an applicant's mental and physical fitness for the role before appointing them. Read the rules around how to do this and avoid leaving yourself open to discrimination claims.

Download our template risk assessment and use it to determine whether you need to seek references where they're missing from your records.

You must carry out a prohibition check on all teachers, as well as any staff appointed to do 'teaching work'. Understand what counts as teaching work and how to do the check.

Get to grips with how to carry out these required pre-employment checks to verify a person's right to work in the UK.