What the single central record is
The single central record is a register of the pre-appointment checks your school has carried out. The regulations call it “the register”. Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) 2026 says schools and colleges must keep one (paragraph 347). It is one of the first documents an inspector will ask to see, and it shows at a glance whether everyone working with your pupils has been properly checked.
KCSIE 2026 has been in force since 1 September 2026. The rules on the SCR are in Part three, “Safer recruitment”.
Who must be on it
Paragraph 348 says the SCR must cover:
- All staff, including teacher trainees on salaried routes.
- Agency and third-party supply staff, even if they work for one day.
- In independent schools, including academies and free schools, all members of the proprietor body. For an academy trust, that means the members and trustees.
Some people don’t have to be on it:
- Fee-funded trainee teachers. Their training provider does the checks. You should get written confirmation of this from the provider, and you can record it on the SCR if you choose (paragraphs 375 and 376).
- Volunteers and governors. KCSIE lists checks on volunteers and governors as information you are free to record, not as a requirement (paragraph 352). Many schools include them anyway, so that all checks are in one place.
When someone leaves, their details should be removed from the SCR (paragraph 351).
The checks it must show
For each member of staff, the SCR must show whether each of these checks was carried out or the certificate obtained, and the date (paragraph 350):
- An identity check.
- A separate children’s barred list check, where one was needed (for example, because the person started in regulated activity before their DBS certificate arrived).
- An enhanced DBS check, with children’s barred list information where the role is regulated activity. The SCR records that it was requested or that the certificate was provided.
- A prohibition from teaching check.
- Further checks on people who have lived or worked outside the UK.
- A check of professional qualifications, where required.
- A check of the person’s right to work in the UK.
Independent schools, including academies and free schools, must also record the section 128 checks for people in management positions. Section 128 directions bar people from taking part in the management of an independent school.
For agency and supply staff, you record something different (paragraph 349):
- whether you have written confirmation from the agency that it carried out the relevant checks and obtained the right certificates,
- the date you received that confirmation, and
- whether details of an enhanced DBS certificate were provided.
You must also obtain a copy of the certificate from the agency if it disclosed any information (paragraph 365). You should check that the person who turns up is the person the checks were made on (paragraph 367).
What you can add
Paragraph 352 says schools are free to record anything else they think relevant. KCSIE gives these examples:
- whether staff have been told of their duty to disclose under the childcare disqualification arrangements,
- checks on volunteers,
- checks on governors,
- dates of safeguarding and safer recruitment training, and
- the name of the person who carried out each check.
The SCR can be on paper or electronic (paragraph 353). A multi-academy trust must keep an SCR covering every academy. It doesn’t need a separate record for each one, but it must be able to give each academy’s details separately and without delay to anyone entitled to inspect them, including inspectors (paragraph 354).
What’s changed in 2026
The Crime and Policing Act 2026 changed the definition of regulated activity and removed the “supervision exemption”. A volunteer who teaches, trains, instructs or supervises children frequently, on more than 3 days in a 30-day period, or overnight, is now in regulated activity. Schools should get an enhanced DBS check with children’s barred list information for them (paragraph 383).
If an existing volunteer is now in regulated activity because of this change, the school must check their barred list status, by getting an enhanced DBS check with barred list information (paragraph 385). If you record volunteers on your SCR, make sure these checks show there too.
Common gaps to check for
These come straight from what KCSIE requires. They are worth checking before an inspection:
- Missing dates. The SCR must show the date each check was completed or each certificate obtained, not just a tick.
- Supply staff without a confirmation date. You need the date the agency’s written confirmation arrived, not just a note that the agency is approved.
- Leavers still listed. People who no longer work at the school should be removed.
- Overseas checks. Anyone who has lived or worked outside the UK needs the same checks as everyone else, plus any further checks you think appropriate (paragraph 359).
- Prohibition checks. Anyone employed to carry out teaching work must not be subject to a prohibition order (paragraph 313).
- Section 128 in academies and independent schools. These checks must be recorded for anyone in a management position, including trustees.
- Volunteers now in regulated activity. Barred list status must be checked for existing volunteers brought into regulated activity on 1 September 2026.
- Staff who need new checks. New checks are needed when someone moves into regulated activity, after a break in service of 12 weeks or more, or when there are concerns about their suitability (paragraph 425).
- Copies of DBS certificates kept too long. You don’t have to keep copies. If you do, they should not be kept for longer than six months (paragraphs 356 and 357).
KCSIE does not set a time limit after which every DBS check must be renewed. Many schools set one in their own policy, and the DBS Update Service lets you check a certificate’s status online with the person’s consent (paragraphs 328 to 330).