What is the single central record and how does HR software help schools, academies and MATs stay compliant?

What is the single central record (SCR)?

A single central record (SCR) is a compulsory record kept by schools, academies and MATs in the UK for the purpose of safeguarding. It is a statutory requirement to keep one, and the SCR must detail all recruitment and vetting checks carried out on staff.

Maintaining an accurate SCR is an essential part of a school’s safeguarding duty to its pupils. It shows that schools have adhered to the statutory guidance from the Department for Education (DfE), entitled “Keeping children safe in education”. Paragraphs 268-272 specifically refer to the SCR, stating that “schools and colleges must maintain a single central record of pre-appointment checks” and the dates they have been carried out – these include:

• An identity check
• A standalone children’s barred list check
• An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, with children’s barred list check
• A prohibition from teaching check
• Additional checks on people who have lived or worked outside the UK
• Professional qualifications checks where needed
• A check on the individual’s right to work in the UK

All staff who are in regular contact with children must be checked regardless of their position. Teachers, trainee teachers, support staff, volunteers, agency workers, third-party staff and more are covered by the requirements, even if they only work in the school, academy or MAT for a short period of time.

As a statutory requirement, the SCR will be checked during an Ofsted inspection. Inspectors will report on whether safeguarding is being carried out effectively and the SCR check constitutes part of this – it can impact the overall rating given to the school during the inspection. In addition, there may even be legal ramifications for non-compliance depending on the seriousness.

What is the purpose of an SCR?

The main purpose of an SCR is safeguarding – it shows schools, academies and MATs are taking necessary steps to protect children and young people and promote their welfare. Every school has a duty of care to its pupils and the SCR is one of the fundamental steps it must take to prove this is happening, by ensuring the people it employs are suitable to work with children. Every member of staff who works with or around children has an important role to play which is why SCR guidance applies to everyone employed by an organisation.

Common challenges when maintaining an SCR

For busy schools, academies and MATs, maintaining a complete and accurate SCR comes with challenges even when safeguarding principles are fully adhered to. This is because completing the SCR often requires additional administrative steps that are time consuming for staff, meaning the process is more complex than it needs to be. Common challenges for schools might include:

• Time constraints. Completing the SCR is an additional process on top of pre-employment checks that takes up time for busy staff.
• Accuracy. It can be challenging to maintain an accurate record manually and there is always the risk of human error.
• Workflows. Whose responsibility is it to maintain the SCR and is it a core part of their duties? It may fall to multiple people to keep an SCR up to date, complicating the process further. But if it falls to only one person, there is additional pressure on them.
• Processes. The process for completing an SCR may be confusing or time consuming, and many schools keep records using spreadsheets, where formulas and formatting can cause inaccuracies.

How can school HR software help to maintain an SCR?

More schools are turning to HR software to streamline operations, automate processes, get in-depth reporting insights and maintain records, including the SCR. A holistic HR system can be used as one central place to store employee records and documents, even across different academies within a trust. Data will be stored securely in the system and automatic backups ensure it is protected in the event of an issue or outage. All data can then be reported on for compliance and auditing requirements.

HR software has multiple uses in managing safeguarding and compliance procedures, giving complete visibility of all records and allowing for overarching control of data collection, storage and reporting. Background screening checks including right to work, enhanced DBS checks, reference verifications and more can be managed and stored in the system. An HR system can even help to keep these records current, with automatic alerts that signal when checks are expiring and need to be repeated. All records are fully auditable and there will be a compliance trail that can be accessed when needed.

Benefits of using school HR software to maintain an SCR

HR software can considerably reduce the pressures associated with maintaining a compliant SCR. These are some of the key benefits:

• The process of carrying out pre-employment checks, entering records into the system and keeping them up to date can be fully automated to save staff valuable time and reduce the chance of human error.
• Data protection. Information entered into the database will be fully secure, protected and backed up. This is an important consideration when dealing with sensitive personal data – HR systems have data security built in as standard.
• Improved accuracy. Schools can move away from manual processes and spreadsheets to achieve accuracy. Automation of processes helps to streamline data management and ensure reliability for audits.
• Simplicity. Automated processes and an easy-to-use interface make maintaining an SCR much simpler than manual data entry. Workflows for recording, updating and maintaining information can also be simplified, with data stored in one central place even when it covers multiple academies.
• Easy integration with other HR modules. HR software for schools can be used to manage multiple essential functions, including:
  • Payroll, pensions and budgeting
  • Recruitment and onboarding
  • Learning and performance
  • Logging absences
  • Parent communications
  • Curriculum content delivery and assessments
  • Student career guidance

Find out more about education HR software for SCRs, safeguarding and so much more

HR software can be a revolutionary SCR maintenance solution, keeping your school compliant, saving time and ensuring essential safeguarding policies are followed. But HR systems can also go far beyond employment screening, contributing to the school’s overall quality of teaching and safeguarding. It is regularly used by schools to improve:

• Budgeting, helping schools to make cost savings and identify areas where spending efficiencies can be achieved.
• Staff development, engaging learners with essential topics at their desks or remotely to improve the people experience.
• Reporting, with over 100 standard reports available that can be generated automatically and viewed via bespoke dashboards.
• Recordkeeping, maintaining essential information in one central database to keep schools, academies and MATs organised and compliant.
• Absence management, providing a simple system to log and store absence information securely while allowing easy access for relevant parties.

Find out more about HR software that ensures safeguarding protocols are simple and effective to follow. Connect with a software specialist, view pricing options or request a demo of our solutions.