VOLUNTEERS
We warmly welcome parents to volunteer in school. Please click here to read our Code of Conduct for Volunteers.
This can be on a regular basis to help with reading or occasionally for special days or school visits. The document below gives our policy on when a Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS) is needed.
Keeping Children Safe in Education
This school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
The Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) and the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) have merged to become the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). CRB checks are now called DBS checks.
Volunteers who help regularly in school are required to undertake an enhanced DBS check.
For volunteers in supervised activity, for example helping in the classroom with a project such as designing Christmas cards, a DBS check will not be undertaken. These volunteers will wear a red visitor lanyard so staff know they must be supervised at all times. These volunteers must attend an introductory meeting with the Headteacher and sign the Code of Conduct for Volunteers.
For volunteers who are able to commit to helping in school on a regular basis (minimum once a month) and who are involved in unsupervised activities (no staff member present), an enhanced DBS check will be made. The School may ask parents to contribute £5 towards the administrative cost of the check. Once their DBS check has been completed they must attend an introductory meeting with the Headteacher and sign the Code of Conduct for Volunteers. They will then be issued with a personalised blue lanyard. Volunteers with a DBS check are expected to volunteer on a regular basis. If a volunteer is unable to help in School within 3 months of obtaining a check they will be taken off our Single Central Register.
For School trips we would prefer to take DBS checked volunteers.
Please register for the Update Service when you receive your Enhanced certificate. This is free for volunteers, will mean your DBS is portable to other organisations, and will save time and money in the future. Guidance for registration online and WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THE DATE OF ISSUE OF YOUR CERTIFICATE is attached below and also included with your certificate.
If you have a DBS enhanced Certificate for School workforce from another agency and have registered for the Update Service we will ask you to sign a form to authorise us to access your clearance.
All CRB and DBS checks will be recorded on our Single Central Register administered by the School’s Business Manager and checked each term by the Governing Body.
If you would like to become a regular volunteer at the school and so need a DBS check, please speak to Jen Stearn (School Business Manager) in the office on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday morning or Friday.
All belonging under the umbrella of God's love, we enable children to flourish in His beautiful world as we love one another, persevere in learning and experience joy.
