Single central record: five common gaps and how to fix them

A single central record (SCR) is one register of the checks made on the adults who work at your school. For each person it shows which checks were done and when.

In England, Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) says schools must keep one. The 2026 edition allows paper or electronic form. It also says you do not need to keep copies of certificates to maintain the record.

Schools outside England do not follow KCSIE by law. The British Schools Overseas (BSO) standards still ask the proprietor to keep a register of staff checks, which can be electronic.

The International Taskforce on Child Protection (ITFCP) goes a step further for international schools. Its safer recruitment checklist asks for one central safeguarding record, reviewed every quarter by the designated safeguarding lead (DSL).

International schools hire people who have lived and worked in several countries. Their checks come from different police forces, ministries and former schools, and they arrive at different times.

One register puts all of that in one place. The DSL can see in a minute who is cleared, who is waiting and who has a gap.

Visiting teams also ask for it. Accreditors and inspectors often open recruitment files and compare them with the staff list. The accreditation visit evidence checklist shows what else a team may ask to see.

A tidy record shows what you checked and when. It cannot show that your school meets a standard, so confirm the requirements with your accreditor and local advisers.

Start with what KCSIE lists, then add what your own setting needs. KCSIE asks for a yes or no and a date for each check.

Record the fact of each check, not the document. KCSIE says a copy of a UK criminal record certificate should be kept for a valid reason and for no longer than six months.

The register holds personal data, so limit who can open it. Local data law may set other rules, so ask your data protection adviser.

• Full name, role, start date and type of worker (staff, agency, contractor, volunteer, board member)
• Identity check, with the date and the initials of the person who did it
• Right to work in the host country
• Criminal record check for each country the person has lived in, with the date seen
• Teacher prohibition or barring check, where the country of qualification has one
• Qualification check and reference check
• Safeguarding induction and training dates

KCSIE says the record covers all staff, including agency and third-party supply staff, even if they work for one day. In independent schools it also covers every member of the proprietor body.

In international schools the missing names are often easy to guess: day cover staff, coaches, activity providers, music tutors, boarding house staff and board members. Read more on visitors, contractors and volunteers.

The fix is a termly match. Compare the record with the payroll, the agency invoices and the building access list. Add every name that appears on one list but not on the record.

Then ask each head of department who else is working with students this term and is not on payroll. Write the scope into the safer recruitment policy, so it is settled before the next hire.

A tick without a date proves little. KCSIE asks schools to record the date each check was completed or each certificate was obtained.

Timing is the second problem. If a check date falls after the start date, a visiting team will ask what the person did in the meantime.

Aim to finish every check before the first day with students. In England, KCSIE says anyone who starts before their certificate arrives needs supervision and every other check done. Check what your own rules allow.

Adopt a rule that nobody starts until every check on their row has a date. Make each offer conditional on satisfactory checks, as the ITFCP checklist suggests, and ask the person who keeps the register to confirm the row before the start date is final.

If someone does start early, record the reason, the supervision plan and who agreed to it.

A new hire may have lived in two or three countries. The ITFCP checklist asks for criminal record checks, where possible, from each country where the person lived for six months or more in the last ten years.

Some countries will not issue a certificate. KCSIE and the ITFCP checklist both point to other measures in that case, such as extra references or a written risk assessment.

Give each country its own line in the record. Note what you asked for, the date, why it could not be issued, what you did instead and who approved the appointment.

If a certificate shows something you do not understand, do not decide alone. Take it to the Head and follow your safer recruitment policy. The full process is in safer recruitment in international schools.

KCSIE says schools must get written notice from an agency that it made the same checks the school would have made. The record should show whether that notice arrived, and on what date.

Check that the person who turns up is the person who was checked. A photo check at reception against the agency file is quick.

For contractors, KCSIE says to set your safeguarding requirements out in the contract. Use the same step for cleaners, drivers, security guards, catering firms and building teams.

Here is wording you can send to an agency: 'Please confirm in writing that you have checked the identity, qualifications, references and criminal records of each person you send. Tell us before the first day if any check showed a concern.'

A record goes stale when one busy person keeps it alone. Give it two roles: one person updates it as each hire happens, often in human resources (HR), and the DSL reviews it.

The ITFCP checklist suggests the DSL reviews the central record every quarter. Your board can also ask for a short summary each term, such as how many rows are complete.

Remove leavers too. KCSIE says an individual's details should be removed once they no longer work at the school. Ask your data protection adviser what to keep after that.

Set aside an afternoon with your HR lead and work through the list below. It tests the whole record against real files.

When you finish, tell the Head plainly: 'I checked every row against the staff list. These gaps are open, and each has an owner and a date.'

If an adult is working with students and their checks are missing, follow your school's child protection procedure and tell the DSL the same day. If a child is in immediate danger, call local emergency services.

• Print the staff list from payroll and the agency list from accounts
• Tick each name against the record and list every name that is missing
• Pick five files at random and match each row to its file
• Mark every blank cell and every check date after a start date
• List each overseas row with no check, no reason or no sign-off
• Give every gap an owner and a date, then test again in a month