HL Deb 19 January 1993 vol 541 cc78-80WA
Lord Peston

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What action they are taking on the appointment of teaching and other staff at educational establishments in the light of the recommendations of the report of the Warner Committee of Inquiry into the selection, development and management of staff at children's homes.

The Minister of State, Department of Education (Baroness Blatch)

The terms of reference of the Warner Committee did not include educational establishments. The Department for Education is examining the recommendations in the report to see to what extent they might apply to such establishments. Under existing arrangements for checking the suitability of staff who will have substantial access to children, local education authorities receive from the Department a list of staff barred from working with children (List 99): all LEAs make police checks on the criminal backgrounds of prospective employees. Independent and grant maintained schools have access to List 99 and are able to request police checks before new staff are appointed. Clause 243 of the Education Bill, presently before Parliament, makes provision to strengthen protection for children in independent schools, providing for the Secretary of State to bar teachers and other persons from working in independent schools; to delete schools from the Register of Independent Schools if they employ barred persons; and to consider complaints that individuals employed as non-teaching staff are not proper persons to work in independent schools.

Lord Peston

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What estimate they have made about the number of additional staff that will be required by the Department of Education, should the estimate of 1,500 approved grant-maintained schools by April 1994 be reached, in order to meet the need to perform police checks on new staff appointed to grant-maintained schools.

Baroness Blatch

The increase in the number of criminal background checks routed through the Department implied by an increase to 1,500 in the number of grant-maintained schools is likely to require the deployment of up to two additional staff to the team responsible for teachers' misconduct.