Certificate in Understanding the Single Central Record

Course Duration: 1hr 10m (approx) online training + self-directed learning and activities + final assessment.

Schools and colleges must maintain a single central record (SCR) of pre-appointment checks for all staff in line with statutory and regulatory requirements. Schools must ensure the SCR is up-to-date, complete and can evidence the suitability of staff and adults in order to support safeguarding needs and meet Ofsted expectations.

This essential CPD course will provide you with the core content you need to understand your statutory duties under the SCR, strengthen your understanding of administration and maintenance and develop best practice methods to ensure compliance.

Delivered by safeguarding and inclusion consultant and senior program leader, Lorna Ponambalum, the course has been split into seven bite-sized modules and has been designed to provide maximum learning potential in the leanest, most cost-effective and most time-efficient manner. It has been produced in high-quality remote video CPD format which is accessible on any device, anytime, anywhere.

Please note: The course consists of learning through video, task completion and further reading/research. Please consider this when planning and allocating your time. To successfully understand and achieve the objectives from the course, learners are expected to engage in all aspects of the learning process and complete all relevant activities to ensure they can successfully apply the knowledge and skills they have gained in their own setting.

Designed in line with the following policies

• Keeping Children Safe in Education
• Ofsted School inspection handbook
• Ofsted Inspecting safeguarding in early years, education and skills
• Governance handbook
• The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014

Learning outcomes

• Recognising the importance of implementing and maintaining a single central record that’s in line with statutory guidance and its importance to Ofsted.
• Understanding the relevant statutory and non-statutory guidance that’s involved in maintaining the single central record.
• Recognising who and what should be recorded on the SCR and providing an understanding of key pre-employment checks.
• Identifying individual roles and responsibilities, including who should be assigned to regularly maintain and administer the single central record.
• Understanding how to implement a clear tracking and monitoring process to ensure compliance, exploring different formats and developing best practice.

Modules

Module 1: Why is the single central record important?

This module will explore the definition and purpose of the single central record as a tool to help in nurturing a safer school environment, which also includes the importance of updating the SCR.

Module 2: Statutory guidance

This module will explain what constitutes as relevant statutory and non-statutory guidance in the context of the single central record, highlighting which sections of official policy apply to the single central record itself.

Module 3: Administration

This module will focus on the administrative details that encompass the single central record; who exactly should be included on the SCR and maintaining digital copies of the SCR.

Module 4: Roles and responsibilities

This module will review who should be responsible for the single central record and how the school’s headteacher, governors and designated safeguarding leads all have a role to play in successfully maintaining the SCR.

Module 5: Maintenance and best practice

This module will provide an overview of the recommended duties involved in maintaining a professional level of practice when using the single central record.

Module 6: Common mistakes

This module will provide a detailed outline of common mistakes that could be made when administering the single central record and the importance of recognising these mistakes.

Module 7: Case studies

This final module will explore several scenarios involving the administration and responsibilities of the single central record, which will involve reflecting on what you will have learned throughout the module and applying your knowledge to the scenarios.