ST. ANNE’S CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS
with Business & Enterprise Status
SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND SAFER
RECRUITMENT POLICY 2011-13
St. Anne’s Catholic High School for Girls - Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment Policy – Reviewed July 2011
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CONTENTS
Page
CONTENTS
Mission Statement
3
Introduction
4
The Recruitment and Selection of Permanent and Fixed Term staff
4
Procedures for Visitors to the School
6
St. Anne’s Catholic High School for Girls - Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment Policy – Reviewed July 2011
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Mission Statement
St. Anne’s Catholic High School for Girls will offer a positive presence in Enfield
with a comprehensive curriculum delivered in modern facilities, equipping
students with the ability to meet the challenges of the 21st Century
confidently, and with high spiritual and moral standards.
We recognise that students, parents, staff and governors make up the
school’s community which will continually self-evaluate to improve itself
effectively and efficiently in all aspects of its growth.
We are a fully inclusive, Roman Catholic girls’ secondary school meeting high
academic standards, promoting spirituality, pastoral care and the Roman
Catholic community.
We recognise in all our relationships the dignity and value of each person
showing one another mutual acceptance and respect.
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Introduction
The purpose of this policy is to help keep students at St. Anne’s safe by ensuring that
we have effective safeguarding systems in place so that they can achieve their full
human potential.
It sets out procedures designed to ensure that our recruitment and selection
processes help to deter, reject and/or identify people who are unsuitable to work
with young people or may abuse them.
This policy is based on the DCSF guidance document “Safeguarding Children and
Safer Recruitment in education” which came into effect on 1 January 2007. Other
legislation also taken into account in this policy is the Education (School Staffing)
(England) Regulations 2003 and amendments.
The Recruitment and Selection of Permanent and Fixed Term Staff
The safeguarding policy and procedures to be implemented for the recruitment and
selection of permanent and fixed term members of staff are set out below:
Planning & Advertising
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We will plan ahead for each stage of the process and set aside time so that
safeguards not overlooked. We aim to obtain references on shortlisted
candidates prior to interview.
Our person specification will include responsibility for safeguarding children
The advertisement and application pack will include a statement about our
commitment to safeguarding and the need for all candidates to undertake a
CRB check.
Application Form
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We will use the LA application forms and will not accept CVs.
We will ask to see identifying details – current & former names, d.o.b., current
address, N.I. No. (For teachers- DFES ref No., QTS)
We will ask to see original certificates in order to verify qualifications.
We will check that we have a chronological history of education, training and
employment with start and end dates and reasons for leaving employment
We expect candidates to declare family or close relationship to existing
employees or employers
We will ask for details of referees – one of which should be the applicant’s
current or most recent employer
Job description
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We will set out the main duties and responsibilities of the post; and make clear
the individual’s responsibility for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of
children and young persons s/he is responsible for, or comes into contact with.
(all posts involve some degree of responsibility for safeguarding children,
although the extent of that responsibility will vary according to the nature of the
post.)
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Person Specification
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We will include the qualifications and experience, and any other requirements
needed to perform the role in relation to working with children and young
people.
We will include the responsibility for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of
children & young people
Candidate Information Pack
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We will inform candidates that references will be taken up prior to interview
whether they agree to this or not.
Candidates will receive an application form and explanatory notes.
The pack will include the Job description and person specification.
We will also include a summary of our child protection policy.
Scrutinising and Short-listing
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All applications will be scrutinised to ensure that they are fully and properly
completed.
We will not accept incomplete applications.
Anomalies on the application form will be noted and any issues raised during
interview
We will assess all candidates equally against the criteria in the person
specification.
References
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We will obtain references directly from the referee who should be the current
and most recent employer
We will not accept open references or testimonials.
Invitation to interview
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We will send details of the interview process to shortlisted candidates.
We will instruct all candidates to bring documentary evidence of their identity
that will satisfy CRB requirements, for example, passport, utility bill to verify
current name and address, educational & professional qualifications.
We will keep a copy of the documents used to verify the candidate’s identity
and qualifications in the personnel file.
Interview Panel
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The panel will consist of at least two people (one of whom should be
appropriately trained).
The panel will meet before the interview to consider issues to be explored with
each candidate and agree who will ask about these.
The panel will agree the assessment criteria to be used in accordance with the
person specification.
The panel will agree questions to be asked and by whom.
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Interview
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We will explore the candidate’s ability to support safeguarding and promote
the welfare of children.
We will explore any gaps in employment history.
Any other concerns or discrepancies arising from the information provided by
the candidate and/or referee will also be explored during the interview.
The panel will ask the candidate if they wish to declare anything in the light of
the requirement for a CRB disclosure.
Conditional offer of Appointment:
Pre-appointment checks
An offer of appointment will be conditional upon
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The receipt of two satisfactory references
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Verification of identity
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Check of List 99, CRB disclosure
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Verification of candidate’s medical fitness
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Verification of qualifications
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Verification of successful completion of induction/probationary period
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All checks will be followed up where they are unsatisfactory or there are
discrepancies in the information provided.
Post-appointment: Induction
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We will provide training and information about school policy and procedures.
We will support individuals.
We will confirm the conduct expected from all employees.
We will provide opportunities for staff to discuss issues or concerns.
We will provide all staff with copies of policies and procedures in relation to
safeguarding and promoting welfare, e.g. child protection, anti-bullying, antiracism, physical restraint internet safety, local CP and safeguarding
procedures.
We will provide child protection training appropriate to the person’s role.
Monitoring
We will monitor the recruitment process and induction arrangements so that future
recruitment practices will be better informed. This will cover:
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Staff turnover and reasons for leaving
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Exit interviews; and attendance of new recruits at child protection training
Visitors Policy and Procedures
Rationale:
St. Anne’s Catholic High School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the
welfare of students and expects all staff and visitors to share this commitment.
This set of procedures is to provide clarity of expectations and consistency of
practice when visitors/contactors come onto the school site(s) in order to ensure
that students and staff are safe. . Therefore the following procedures must be
followed by all staff and contractors/visitors.
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Official titles are used. Staff names can be found in the Staff List, which can be
found on the common drive in the ‘General Information’ folder. The hyperlink is
O:\General Information - Staff\Staff List\Staff list for 01.07.2010.xls
Visitors to Schools
This guidance relates to people who need to visit schools in the course of their work.
Some will be professional who need to work directly with young people. Others will
be visiting the school in order to deal with matters that relate to the school
buildings/Services rather than its students. All visitors must report to reception on
arrival at the school.
CRB Disclosures
It is not necessary to obtain a CRB disclosure for visitors who will only have contact
with children on an ad hoc or irregular basis for short periods of time. However, it is
good practice to ensure that visitors sign in and out and are escorted while on the
premises by a member of staff.
People who must be checked:
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All staff appointed since April 2002.
Supply Staff – the school will check that the person that comes to them is the
person referred by the agency. The school will confirm with the agency that
the appropriate checks have been carried out and are satisfactory.
Governors – if they have direct unsupervised access to students.
Other public sector staff – as the employing agency will already have
checked these it is not necessary to see the CRB disclosure, however a check
of their identity when an individual arrives will be carried out.
PGCE students – the ITT provider should ensure they have an Enhanced CRB
Disclosure
Contractors – who are in school on a regular basis
Invigilators
Volunteers who are in school on a regular basis. A check is not necessary if a
volunteer’s role will be a one off, provided that the person is not to be left
alone and unsupervised in charge of students.
Sports coaches must have been checked by the organisation for which they
are employed and confirmation of these checks will be obtained by the
school.
A record of CRB details will be kept on the Single Central Record by the
Clerical Assistant Personnel &Finance
Examples of people who do not need to apply for a CRB disclosure include:
 Visitors who have business with the Headteacher or other staff or have brief
contact with students with a member of staff present.
 Visitors or contractors who come on site to carry out emergency repairs or
service equipment and who would not be expected to be left unsupervised
on school premises. Wherever possible, we will endeavour to obtain CRB
information from the Facilities Management Company. Contractors who are
in school regularly should have been checked by their company and
expected to wear their identity badge on site at all times.
 Visitors who come into school for a one off visit to work with students, or who
accompany staff and students on one off outings or trips that do not involve
overnight stays.
St. Anne’s Catholic High School for Girls - Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment Policy – Reviewed July 2011
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Procedures for Arranging Visitors/Guests to School
If a member of staff wishes to invite a visitor into school they will follow procedures
below:
 Inform the First Deputy of any visitors they would like to invite into school and
the purpose of the visit, at least two weeks in advance, in order for pre-visit
checks to be undertaken/confirmed.
 Pre-visit checks will be undertaken by the Clerical Assistant Personnel &
Finance using the agreed form attached at appendix A.
 The member of staff organising the visit will be informed of the outcome of the
pre- visit check and can confirm the visit. They should inform reception of the
date and time of the visit, the visitor’s name and their organisation.
 Staff organising a visit must never assume that someone has CRB clearance
 The personnel assistant will keep a log of all CRB checks which have been
carried out for visitors and these will be recorded on the Single Central
Record.
 If CRB clearance is not required, then the visitor must not be left alone in
school and the responsibility for their behaviour lies with the member of staff
who has arranged the visit.
Visitors in school
Visitors will:
 Report to Reception on arrival
 Sign the Visitor’s Book on entering the school reception area and wear a
visitor’s badge at all times.
 Have their identity checked by the person on reception and confirmed to the
member of staff meeting them.
 Be issued with a dark blue Visitor’s Lanyard, the No. of which must be entered
into the Visitor’s Book.
 Wear the Lanyard at all times whilst on school premises.
 Sign out in the Visitor’s Book on leaving the school and return their Visitor’s
Lanyard to the person on reception.
 Leave the school building via one of the access controlled exits.
Security Badges
All staff and Visitors to the school must wear a security badge at all times. These
have been produced in different colours for ease of identification as follows:
Grey = Staff
Red= Contractors
Dark Blue = Visitors
Purple = Sixth Form Students
If anyone is not wearing their Security Badge they must be challenged. Staff should
report any potentially unauthorised visitors to a member of SLT as soon as possible.
Procedures for Contractors / Visitors – Premises/Facilities related
Appointment: Contractors
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No (premises/facilities-related) contractor is allowed onto the site without
having made an appointment/arrangement so that we know who to expect,
from which company, the reason for the visit and when to expect the
contractor(s).
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On arrival, contractors must report to the General Office, Lower Site or the
Reception, Upper Site.
They must fill in all columns in the Visitors’ Book and wait for the Maintenance
Officer (MO).
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Pre-arranged visits – non premises/facilities related
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The person who issues the invite must advise the receptionist on the relevant
site to expect the visitor, giving the person’s name, name of company, date
and time of visit, reason for the visit and the member of staff they are coming
to meet with.
If the call-out is for the photocopiers or library equipment, the member of staff
making the call-out must advise the Clerical Assistant Personnel & finance as
well as the Receptionist.
If a Trade Union representative is due to visit the site, the person arranging the
visit must advise the Headteacher in advance, verbally or by email
When the visitor arrives, they must follow the procedures in the section below
on ‘Identity & Security’.
Ad-hoc visitors
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Ad-hoc visitors include parents and ‘meter-readers’, people who sell the
reduced items, e.g. Book People, Priests, Silver Surfers, visitors who work with
the students and anyone else not covered in the above categories.
They must follow the procedures below, ‘Identity & Security’.
Identity & Security
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Each contractor/visitor will be given a Visitor Badge with a number on it. The
number of the badge will be recorded in the Visitors’ Book by the
Receptionist.
The Receptionist will tell the contractor/visitor to wear the Visitor Badge at all
times when on our school site and return the badge to the General
Office/Reception on his/her departure.
The contractor/visitor must wear the St. Anne’s Visitor Badge even if (s)he has
an identity badge from his company.
It is the Maintenance Officer’s (MO) or member of staff’s, who invited the
visitor, responsibility to ensure that the contractor(s) wears the Visitor badge
at all times and is supervised at all times.
For learning activities, members of staff must stay in the room/hall with the
students throughout time they are scheduled to be with the groups of
students.
Arranging a visit for a contractor - premises-related
Contractors come to work in the school in response to an emergency call-out and
for pre-arranged work.
Pre-arranged work
Health & Safety/ Maintenance Log
There is a log on each site in the staffroom.
Staff are required to complete the log for all health & safety, premises/facilities
requests.
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The Maintenance Officer carries out the work, signs against the item and indicates
the status of the item and if a contractor is required to do the job.
If a contractor is required the Maintenance Officer must also advise the School
Business Manager, who should be checking the log at least every two weeks.
Pre-arranged work includes work that is identified in the Premises Plan, meetings with
the Headteacher, from governors’ meetings and from Strategic Leadership Team
(SLT) meetings.
‘Emergency call-out’
Emergency call-outs refer to any situation that is a health & safety risk that the
Maintenance Officer cannot resolve and that needs to be resolved as a matter of
urgency.
Contacting the contractor
Emergency call-out – premises, facilities and equipment
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ALERT: In an emergency situation, the Maintenance Officer advises the School
Business Manager (SBM), or the Finance Officer in the SBM’s absence, that a
contractor is needed and explains why.
Then the MO must also inform the Clerical Assistant Personnel & Finance that
a call-out is needed, reason and some indication as to whether the
contractor might need to go to parts of the building where learning is taking
place.
APPOINTMENT: The Clerical Assistant Personnel & Finance makes the
appointment. (S)he must take into account the times that the Maintenance
Officer is on site so that the Maintenance Officer is available to accompany
the contractor during the visit and see him off the premises, via
Reception/General Office to return the Visitor badge.
PORF:
The Maintenance Officer (MO) has to complete a PORF on the day the callout is requested. He generates a sequential emergency order number from
the list of numbers he has and writes the number on the Purchase Order
Requisition Form (PORF). The number indicates that it was an emergency
PORF. An example of emergency order numbers can be found on the
common drive @ O:\FINANCE\Premises info for SMO\Upper Site\emergency
numbers for upper site.xlsx
For call-outs to REAMS and Holloway Glass, companies we use regularly a
template PORF can be found @ for example O:\FINANCE\Premises info for
SMO\Lower Site\Holloway Glass template PORF for Lower Site Dec 2010.doc
The Maintenance officer The MO must send the completed PORF by the
following day, to the Finance Officer at the US; by email or handwritten, all
sections completed.
It is understandable that the cost might at this point be unknown.
Advising other relevant staff
As soon as the Clerical Assistant Personnel & Finance has confirmed the
appointment, she must:
 Advise the following colleagues of the date, time and name of contractor
expected on to the US or LS, reason for the visit and any other relevant details,
e.g. the need to go into areas where learning is taking place:
 The School Business Manager
 The Maintenance Officer
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The Receptionist on both sites
Learning
If there is a possibility that the contractor might have to go into areas where learning
is taking place to properly assess the work needed, the School Business Manager
must facilitate this and advise the relevant colleagues as soon as possible, verbally
or by email if time allows.
Pre-arranged work – premises
The procedures to be followed for contacting a contractor are the same as above.
The initial call can be made by the SBM or can be delegated to the Clerical
Assistant Personnel & Finance.
The same record-keeping and safeguarding requirements apply.
Record keeping/documents
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The Clerical Assistant Personnel keeps a record of the call-outs and all the
information he is given by the contractor.
The PORF is another source of records.
Documents for use by the premises staff are on the Common drive and can
be accessed by the following links:
O:\FINANCE\Premises info for SMO
NOTE: If a contractor/visitor has an appointment (s)he must not be turned away.
St. Anne’s Catholic High School for Girls - Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment Policy – Reviewed July 2011
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APPENDIX A
Voluntary Organisation: _____________________________________________________
Yes
No
1. Do you carry out a list 99 check on your volunteers?
2. Does your agency initiate and receive back an
Enhanced Disclosure from the Criminal Records
Bureau (CRB) on all your volunteers before they start
work?
If yes, which registered body carries out the check on your behalf?
__________________________________________________________________________
3. Does your agency obtain a fresh Enhanced Disclosure
4. every 3 years, or earlier if the volunteer has
a break in service of 3 months or more, or if there are
Concerns about the person’s suitability to work with
children?
5. Can you confirm that if any information is disclosed
on the CRB check that you would disclose it to the
school and you would not employ any volunteers
who are unsuitable to work with children?
6. Can you confirm that as an voluntary organisation
you do not discriminate on the grounds of sex,
race, disability, sexual orientation, religious belief or
age?
Signed by on behalf of the organisation………………………………………………….
Print name…………………………………………………………………………………
Position/ Title……………………………………………………………………………...
Agency stamp with date:
7.
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ARRANGEMENTS FOR MONITORING AND EVALUATION:
DATE ESTABLISHED BY GOVERNING BODY: (ADOPTED)
Bi Annual
March 2010
DATE REVIEWED:
July 2011
DATE OF NEXT REVIEW:
July 2013
RESPONSIBILITY:
1st Deputy Headteacher
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