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Safeguarding

What is safer recruitment training?

Explaining the legal duty to ensure recruitment practices safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

Guidance
22/07/2026

Schools have a legal duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Safer recruitment is an integral part of fulfilling this duty.

Safer recruitment is a set of practices and procedures designed to ensure that individuals employed in schools are suitable, trustworthy, and pose no threat to the safety and wellbeing of students, staff or the wider school community.

Training expectations

In maintained schools, at least one person on a recruitment panel must have undertaken safer recruitment training. While there is no legal requirement for academies, they should also follow this to demonstrate their commitment to safeguarding.

There is no requirement to refresh training, however, it is good practice to renew it as needed to keep up to date with any changes in law and guidance.

Recruiting staff

In most cases, staff recruitment will be a delegated responsibility for the senior executive leader (headteacher or CEO). This will be set out in the school or trust delegation planner/scheme of delegation, as appropriate.

However, governing boards will need to form a panel if they are recruiting the headteacher or CEO. It is sensible for governing boards to have at least one member who is trained in safer recruitment so that they are prepared to form a panel if needed.

E-learning

Safer recruitment

Subscribers to NGA's Learning Link can view our e-learning module on safer recruitment, designed to fulfil the compliance obligations of governors and trustees who have been asked to appear on a recruitment panel.

Access the module

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