Safer Recruitment Policy

Date policy issued: August 2025

Date policy last reviewed: September 2026

Review due date: September 2027

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Designated Safeguarding Lead and Director contact details

Designated Safeguarding Officer:

Sam Waterhouse

office@educategm.co.uk

0161 327 1782

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Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead:

Kat Thompson

info@educategm.co.uk

0161 327 1782

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Safer Recruitment Policy Statement

Educate GM is committed to creating a culture that safeguards and promotes the welfare of children. In order to achieve this culture, we adopt robust recruitment procedures that deter and prevent people who are unsuitable to work with children from applying for or securing employment.

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Scope of the policy

This policy applies to anyone engaged by Educate GM, including our directors, staff, contractors and any work placement/volunteers.

All prospective applicants will be supplied with copies of the Safeguarding Children Policy, Allegation Policy, Whistleblowing Policy and Code of Conduct.

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Roles and responsibilities

Educate GM will:

• Prevent people who pose a risk of harm from working with children by having effective policies and procedures in place for the recruitment of staff and volunteers in accordance with the DfE guidance, Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026 (KCSIE) (as updated from time to time) and any guidance or code of practice published by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS);

• Prevent people who are subject to a Section 128 direction (which prohibits or restricts an unsuitable individual from participating in the management of an independent school, including academies and free schools) from taking part in the management of an independent school, including academies and free schools, in accordance with the DfE guidance, Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026 (KCSIE, paragraphs 335–339) (as updated from time to time) and any guidance or code of practice published by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS);

• Ensure that it meets its commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people by carrying out all necessary pre-employment checks.
   

Recruitment and Selection Process

All those involved with the recruitment and employment of staff to work with children will be trained to a recognised standard in safer recruitment.

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Educate GM ensures at least one person who conducts an interview has completed training in safer recruitment.

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Advertisements

When defining a role, including through the job/role description and person specification, Educate GM will have regard to paragraph 290 of Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2026. Educate GM will consider:

• the skills, abilities, experience, attitudes and behaviours required for the post; and

• the safeguarding requirements of the role, including the extent to which the role will involve contact with children and whether the individual will be engaging in regulated activity relevant to children.
   

In accordance with paragraph 291 of KCSIE 2026, all advertisements will include:

• Educate GM’s commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and make clear that appropriate safeguarding checks will be undertaken;

• the safeguarding responsibilities of the post, as set out in the job description and person specification; and

• whether the post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
   

Where a post is exempt, Educate GM will have regard to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975, as amended, including the relevant provisions concerning protected convictions and cautions.

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Application Forms

All roles advertised by Educate GM will include (in the application form or elsewhere) the following statement:

“Educate GM is committed to safeguarding children and young people. All post holders are subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. It is an offence to apply for the role if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children.”

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Educate GM will also ensure that all prospective applicants provide the following:

• personal details, current and former names, current address and national insurance number;

• details of their present (or last) employment and reason for leaving;

• full employment history, (since leaving school, including education, employment and voluntary work) including reasons for any gaps in employment;

• qualifications, the awarding body and date of award;

• details of referees/references;

• a statement of the personal qualities and experience that the applicant believes are relevant to their suitability for the post advertised and how they meet the person specification; and

• a statement from the applicant sharing all relevant information about spent and unspent convictions, allegations, disciplinaries and investigations.

• Educate GM does not accept curriculum vitae in place of application forms.
   

Shortlisting

In order to ensure that candidates have the opportunity to share relevant information and allow for this to be discussed at interview stage before the DBS certificate is received, all shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete a self-declaration of their criminal record or information that would make them unsuitable to work with children.

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Educate GM will ensure the following:

• that at least two people carry out the shortlisting exercise.

• that reasons are given for any inconsistencies and for gaps in employment and reasons given for them; and

• all potential concerns are explored.
   

In addition, as part of the shortlisting Educate GM will inform shortlisted candidates that online searches may be conducted as part of due diligence checks. Any incidents identified or issues that have happened, and are publicly available online, will be explored with the candidate at interview.

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Employment History and References

All offers of employment made by Educate GM will be subject to the receipt of a minimum of two written professional references, including the most recent assignments, covering at least 2 years worth’s of assignment.

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Educate GM follows strict standards and therefore will:

• not accept open references e.g. to whom it may concern;

• not rely on applicants to obtain their references;

• ensure any references from the candidate’s current employer have been completed by a senior person with appropriate authority (if the referee is school or college based, the reference should be confirmed by the headteacher/principal as accurate in respect to disciplinary investigations);

• obtain verification of the individual’s most recent relevant period of employment where the applicant is not currently employed;

• secure a reference from the relevant employer from the last time the applicant worked with children (if not currently working with children). If the applicant has never worked with children, then secure further references (more than 2);

• always verify any information with the person who provided the reference;

• ensure electronic references originate from a legitimate source;

• contact referees to clarify content where information is vague or insufficient information is provided; and

• compare the information on the application form with that in the reference and take up any discrepancies with the candidate.

• establish the reason for the candidate leaving their current or most recent post, and,

• ensure any concerns are resolved satisfactorily before appointment is confirmed.
   

Employment selection

Educate GM uses a range of selection techniques to identify the most suitable person for posts. All interview questions will include:

• finding out what attracted the candidate to the post being applied for and their motivation for working with children;

• exploring their skills and asking for examples of experience of working with children which are relevant to the role; and

• probing any gaps in employment or where the candidate has changed employment or location frequently, asking about the reasons for this.
   

All information considered in decision making will be clearly recorded along with decisions made.

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Pre-appointment vetting checks

Educate GM completes all the following legal pre-employment checks when appointing an individual to engage in regulated activity in relation to children:

• Identity check (including being aware of any name changes and obtaining a birth certificate when available);

• Address check;

• National Insurance check;

• Disqualification under the Childcare Disqualification Regulations 2018 and Childcare Act 2006 checks and Section 128 Direction checks;

• An overseas police check (if relevant);

• Enhanced DBS check via the applicant (including children’s barred list information);

• Verification of medical fitness and give further information where relevant;

• Verification of the candidate’s right to work in the UK; and

• Verification of professional qualifications via the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) Employer Access Service, and verification of overseas trained teachers through the appropriate regulating authority in the country of deliverance.
   

Summary

Educate GM will make clients and candidates aware of the Safer Recruitment Policy through the Educate GM Website and App.

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All staff, temporary workers, candidates and contractors understand that the above checks must be conducted and must be aware that they have a professional duty to share information with other recruitment firms in order to safeguard children/adults at risk. The public interest in safeguarding children/adults at risk may override confidentiality interests. However, information will be shared on a need-to-know basis only, as judged by Educate GM.​​