You should do a risk assessment and seek references for volunteers
Before letting a volunteer work at your school, you should do a written risk assessment to decide what checks are needed, including a disclosure and barring service (DBS) check. This is set out on page 77 of Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2022. The risk assessment should also cover:
- The type of work with children and the level of supervision
- What you already know about the volunteer, including what staff and parents can tell you
- Employment and other volunteering activities from which you can get references
Read our article on DBS checks for volunteers for further detail.
The DfE and the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) told us you should seek references for volunteers who will be working with pupils in school on