In October 2014, the Department for Education (DfE) issued an update to its Statutory Guidance “Keeping Children Safe”.
This update requires schools which provide care for pupils under the age of 8, to ensure that staff and volunteers working in these settings are not disqualified from doing so under the Childcare (Disqualification) Regulations 2009.
A person may be disqualified through:
- Having certain orders or other restrictions placed upon them
- Having committed certain offences
- Living in the same household as someone who is disqualified by virtue of 1 or 2 above (this is known as disqualification by association)
You are required therefore to sign the declaration below confirming that you are not disqualified under those Regulations from working in this school.
If you fail to complete and return this form, this will be regarded as a disciplinary matter for staff, which may result in dismissal and in the case of volunteers, will mean that you can no longer work at the school.
A disqualified person is not permitted to continue to work in a setting providing care for children under the age of 8, unless they apply for and are granted a waiver from OFSTED.