do you need a crb check for work experience in a primary school

skintmumof3

prior to my son beginning his primary teaching degree, he has to do 10 days work expereince in a primary school.
as he just getting around to organise things, it has crossed our minds that he may need a crb check prior to starting .
would this be right??
also how long do they take to come through
thanks
skint
x

natty16

A few years back i used to do some voluntary work at a school once a week where my friend was a teacher and i remember that i had to have a CRB check, which the school sorted out for me. I am afraid i cannot remember how long it took to come through but I imagine it can take up to about 6 weeks. HTH

MrsManda

The DCSF advises all people working in education should have an enhanced CRB check. I've had quite a few and they usually take about six weeks to come back.
However the DES permits people to work under supervision in schools while waiting for the CRB check to come through.
As it is work experience your son is presumably going to be under constant supervision and therefore the school may not request that your son gets a CRB check. The best people to talk to is the school directly.

However as he is going to be working in education he will need a CRB check in order to work so it could be advisable to get one sorted as soon as he can. I'd suggest he spoke to the school about whether they require a CRB check and also his college to see if they recommend/organise one while he's doing his training.

More information confirming what I've said can be found HERE
and HERE

HTH

MrsManda

One thing I forgot to mention is that your son will not be able to arrange a CRB check himself anyway, it has to be requested by an organisation registered with the CRB.
Therefore the only thing he can do is to speak to the school to see if it's required and to his college to see if he needs one for the course generally.

INFO

pavlovs_dog

I'm just coming to the end of my PGCE; although it's a secondary PGCE we also had to spend a period of time in a primary school prior to starting our teaching practice. Students at some unis will do their primary observation period before they even start the PGCE in college.

As soon as my place on the course was confirmed (around this time last year) the academic registry at the uni sent me all the relevant paperwork I needed to complete, including a crb form and a fitness to teach health questionnaire. We were advised to return them ASAP to ensure that they came through in time. Officially your son is supposed to have his crb in place by the start of the course, although there are proceedures in place for those whose forms have not come through.

If your son has a place confirmed on a PGCE course but has not yet received any kind of frorms I suggest that he contact the course leader or academic registry to ensure he has not been forgotten.

if he needs any info about teaching or wants to speak to people who are in the same boat (or those who've been around the block a few times ) then the forums at tes.co.uk are a mine of information.

Mummy_Jo

As mentioned above your son can not apply for the check himself

http://www.crb.gov.uk/Default.aspx?page=381

Click on the link and read the gov blurb.

Also you need a different check within each place of work. I have friends who have a few separate checks as it only covers you for one place of work. So a one from Uni would not cover him unless the Uni had organised the work experience. I doubt your son would need it but the school where he is working would know best.

Hope you get sorted

Jo

Fruitloops

pavlovs_dog wrote: »

As soon as my place on the course was confirmed (around this time last year) the academic registry at the uni sent me all the relevant paperwork I needed to complete, including a crb form and a fitness to teach health questionnaire. We were advised to return them ASAP to ensure that they came through in time. Officially your son is supposed to have his crb in place by the start of the course, although there are proceedures in place for those whose forms have not come through.

Sorry to jump on the thread with no help but I just wondered, what sort of questions are on the health questionnaire?

pavlovs_dog

Fruitloops wrote: »

Sorry to jump on the thread with no help but I just wondered, what sort of questions are on the health questionnaire?

it starts out very much like the new patient questionnaires that you have to fill in when you register with the doctor or dentist. asks whether you have any history of x/y/z, have you ever suffered from this or that, have you had an operation in the last X months, I think it asked about your general health and fitness. if you disclose a medical issue they ask for your permission to contact your docs if necessary for them to get more info. you also sign to confirm that you will keep them informed of any changes in your health.

to be honest I think a lot of people stress about it - I know I did! BUt having got this far into the course I can totally understand why they do it - it is single handedly the hardest thing I have ever done in my life - I have never been so physically or mentally exhausted. It doesn't matter how many people tell you that you will feel like that, you do not quite believe it until you experience it first hand. The uni have a duty to you and the schools that they use to ensure that you are physically up to the job. they also have a legal obligation under disability legislation to accommodate your needs in any way that is reasonably and practically possible. When you first fill it out you really do worry that it's going to be the thing that stops you getting onto the course, but if you have a medical condition or history of a condition (particularly mental health) you have nothing to worry about so long as it's under control (they will however stress ad naseum how tough it is physically and mentally and that it's vital you take care of yourself).

to cut a long story short so long as there is no danger that you will have a mental breakdown or a heart attack in front of the kids then you've nothing to worry about- just fill it in honestly and post it off.

it does have it's perks too... it's a statuatory requirement that you complete 120 days in school over the duration of the course. If you miss any time off at all you are *supposed* to have medical evidence to support that. What doctor is going to want to see someone with flu or a 24hour stomach bug to give them a sicknote and prescribe fluids and bed rest?! thankfully the uni nurse is realistic about the situation and will provide a sick note for you so long as you see her with a set time period of the day you missed (i think it's a fortnight ).

Fruitloops

Thanks for your reply, it does seem a little daunting but I guess all course applications can feel like that, especially if it's something you really, really want to do. Thanks for the info!

MrsManda

Fruitloops wrote: »

Sorry to jump on the thread with no help but I just wondered, what sort of questions are on the health questionnaire?

A sample health questionnaire and health guidance with regards to teaching can be found HERE
HTH

natmour

I've had to do the same thing as your son and had to do 10 days experience in a school and I didn't have a CRB as my university were sort it out when I attended university. The school asked me to fill out this form which was called a police check.

Hope this helps!