School reference checking — inspection-ready documentation every time
Ofsted inspectors review reference documentation. The SCR must evidence compliant references for every staff member. MATs must be consistent across every school. RefAssure generates SCR-ready PDFs automatically on every reference — so you are always inspection-ready. From 99p, no subscription.
Ofsted, SCR and MAT — inspection and documentation guides
Ofsted Reference Inspection
What Ofsted inspectors look for when reviewing references during inspection — the risk table, common failures and what constitutes adequate evidence.
Read the guideSingle Central Record
What the SCR must show for references, what documentation must be held separately, and how to be inspection-ready at any time.
Read the guideMAT Reference Checking
Consistent KCSIE compliance across every school in the trust — one account, shared credits, standardised templates, every school inspection-ready.
Read the guide
Inspection & documentation — every guide
Ofsted Reference Checking Requirements
What inspectors look for, the risk table, common failures and inspection outcomes.
Single Central Record References
What the SCR must show, what to hold separately, how long to retain documentation.
MAT Reference Checking
Trust-wide consistency, one account, shared credits, every school inspection-ready.
Inspection & documentation — questions answered
Ofsted inspectors look for written references obtained before the candidate started, obtained directly from referees, including the safeguarding suitability question, with documented candidate consent and a timestamped audit trail. Telephone reference notes or references without a safeguarding question are likely to be recorded as concerns.
The SCR must show references are completed for each staff member in regulated activity, with a date. Schools must separately hold full reference documentation — written responses, consent record and audit trail — and be able to produce it promptly at inspection.
A MAT should have centralised, consistent reference checking — standardised KCSIE templates, consistent consent process, the same SCR documentation standard at every school. RefAssure supports this with one account, shared credits and centralised templates for the whole trust.
RefAssure generates a PDF for every reference with written responses, candidate consent with timestamp, and full audit trail. This document contains all Ofsted-expected reference evidence and can be filed in HR records alongside the SCR entry — produced immediately at inspection.
More education reference checking guides
Always inspection-ready.
Every reference. From 99p.
Ofsted evidence, SCR documentation, MAT-wide consistency — generated automatically on every reference. Never scramble for documentation at inspection again.
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