What references do school support staff need?

Cleaners, cooks, office staff, site managers and midday supervisors all come under the same safer recruitment rules as teachers. Here is how to handle their references.

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Quick answer

School support staff need the same references as teaching staff under Keeping children safe in education: written references obtained directly from the referee, ideally before interview, from the current employer and from the last employer where they worked with children. Open references should not be accepted. RefAssure sends, chases and files each one as a signed PDF.

Roles that are easy to forget.

The Part three rules in KCSIE apply to all staff, not just those in the classroom.

Cleaners and caretakers

Often on site before and after school, with access to every room.

Catering staff

Daily contact with pupils at lunch, sometimes employed through a contractor.

Office and admin

Handle pupil records and safeguarding information, and greet visitors.

Midday supervisors

Supervising children every day, which is regulated activity.

Site and IT staff

Moving around the school during the day, often unaccompanied.

Minibus drivers

Driving a vehicle just for children is regulated activity.

Why the same reference rules apply

KCSIE says most staff in a school are in regulated activity, which means an enhanced DBS check with children's barred list information. Staff who have regular contact with children but are not in regulated activity need an enhanced DBS check without barred list information. Either way, the safer recruitment process, including references, applies to every appointment.

Getting references from non-school employers

Support staff often come from retail, hospitality, cleaning firms or care. Their referees may never have filled in a school reference and may not know why you are asking about children. KCSIE sets out who to ask:

the current employer, completed by a senior person with appropriate authority
if they are not working with children now, the last employer where they did
if they have never worked with children, the current employer
if they are not currently employed, verification of the most recent relevant period of employment

Keep questions short and factual: dates, role, reason for leaving, any disciplinary action, and any concerns about the person working with children. A referee from a supermarket can answer those easily.

Contractors and agency staff

If catering or cleaning is contracted out, set your safeguarding requirements in the contract and make sure contractors have the right level of DBS check. For agency staff, get written confirmation that the agency has carried out the same checks you would. Our school pre-employment checks guide covers the full list.

School business manager checking paperwork in the school office

Easy for any referee to answer.

Referees get a secure link by email and text. No login, any device, and they sign before they submit.

Plain-language questions you set once in a template
5 emails and up to 2 texts over 12 days, stopping when they reply
Replies sent by email instead of the form are captured
Signed PDF for the personnel file

Chase status page showing each referee timeline with email and text markers