Information and forms for academy trust chairs of trustees applying for an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate.

Introduction

All academy trust chairs of trustees must apply for an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate and have their application countersigned by the Secretary of State for Education. This needs to take place prior to the chair of trustees taking up their position.

All new chairs of trustees require a new enhanced DBS certificate, regardless of positions held previously at a different trust. Only chairs of trustees with an enhanced DBS certificate from the same school prior to converting to an academy trust are exempt.

DBS certificates only need to be countersigned by the Secretary of State for the chair of trustees. The chair of trustees is responsible for ensuring that other members and trustees have an up-to-date enhanced DBS certificate but these do not need to be countersigned by the Secretary of State.

The regulations setting out the standards that all schools need to adhere to in order to keep children safe are:

Applying for an enhanced DBS disclosure check

  1. Call DBS on 03000 200 190 and ask for a DBS enhanced disclosure application form using DfE’s DBS registered body name (Department for Education) and reference number (20881800002). It is important that you inform the DBS that, as chair of trustees, you will be a volunteer so that DBS do not apply a charge for the check to take place.
  2. Following DBS instructions, complete the DBS enhanced disclosure application form. Do not complete sections W and Y.
  3. Complete our enhanced DBS checks form:

Enhanced DBS check forms for chairs of academy trusts

MS Word Document, 72.6KB

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology. Request an accessible format.

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need aversion of this document in a more accessible format, please email [email protected].Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Sending your documents

Academy trusts, excluding free school trusts

Academy trusts, excluding free school trusts, should post hard copies of their DBS enhanced disclosure application form and enhanced DBS checks form to:

DBS coordinator, Floor 5A
Education and Skills Funding Agency
2 St Paul’s Place
125 Norfolk Street
Sheffield, S1 2FJ

DfE will check and countersign your application and forward it to DBS to process. When DBS has processed your application, they will send the disclosure certificate to you. DfE will require a scanned copy for our records.

Free school trusts

Free school trusts should post hard copies of their DBS enhanced disclosure application form and enhanced DBS check form to:

Due Diligence Team
Department for Education
Sanctuary Buildings
Great Smith Street
London
SW1P 3BT

Free schools joining an existing multi-academy trust where the chair of trustees has already undertaken an enhanced DBS disclosure check do not need to take any further action.

DfE will check and countersign your application and forward it to DBS to process. When DBS has processed your application, they will send the disclosure certificate to you. DfE will require a scanned copy for our records.

Support with your application

If you have any questions about enhanced DBS disclosure checks for chairs of academy trusts, please send in an enquiry form.

Published 8 May 2018
Last updated 30 April 2019 + show all updates

  1. Updated our form used to get a countersignature from the Secretary of State. New address to send completed forms.
  2. First published.

Contents