Schools suffering from guidance overload - Clayton!

Commenting on Alan Johnson's statement to the House of Commons on the vetting of staff in schools and colleges, Rochdale Cabinet Member for Child, Schools and Families, Cllr. David Clayton said,

"It is absolutely vital that every member of staff at schools in Rochdale whether that be teachers, support staff, dinner staff or caretakers are CRB checked. I think that there isn't a problem in Rochdale but every check must be made in our schools. On the 12 May, it was made mandatory for all new school staff to receive a CRB check, this should be extended to all existing staff

"There cannot be room for confusion over who is responsible for checking that staff are safe to work in schools in Rochdale. For parents to be safe in the knowledge that their children are going to be kept out of danger, schools and local authorities must keep records. It needs to be made quite clear to schools and temporary staff agencies exactly what is required of them, in jargon-free, concise language which leaves no room for confusion or error.

"Schools are suffering from guidance overload. The lesson from this report is that no matter how tight regulations might seem, if they are not communicated clearly and not properly acted upon they are not worth the reams of paper they are written on. I would also hope that the Government give schools the extra resources so that CRB checks can be done efficiently and on time."