Volunteers in Schools

SECTION 12

VOLUNTEERS IN SCHOOLS

The legal issues

Due to unprecedented pressure on the Criminal Records Bureau the DfES has revised their guidance regarding volunteers working in schools. The situation at present is that criminal record checks are not compulsory for volunteers working in schools unless those people will have unsupervised access to children. Some LEA’s have their own guidelines and are requesting full checks anyway.

The Diocesan Board of Education’s advice

The governors should have a policy in place for the use of volunteers within school. This is good practice and can reassure salaried staff that volunteers are not being used as cheap/free labour.

Governors should have their own vetting procedures for volunteers and these should be as rigorous as those for salaried staff at the school. This will reassure parents and make volunteers feel they are being treated seriously.

What should governors consider?

References. It is useful to have a simple form for volunteers to complete prior to joining the school. This will contain basis information and ask for one or two references. These references must be obtained prior to working at the school
Advise potential volunteers that they must be willing to undergo the checking procedure.
Make sure that volunteers are aware of Health and Safety regulations and that the school insurance will cover them.
Governors may offer to pay expenses but make sure these come out of petty cash as if volunteers are offered a regular weekly amount it could be interpreted as a wage and legally construed as a contract of employment.
Volunteers should not be left in sole charge of pupils even if they have full clearance from the CRB.
Make sure everyone knows who is doing what. Ancillary staff can feel threatened if volunteers are doing a similar job to them but without pay. This is especially important now when budgets are really tight. These problems can usually be avoided by having a clear policy on volunteering which outlines how and why volunteers are going to be used.
Don’t forget School Governors are volunteers and they are the largest organised volunteer group in the country

[1]

Sample form for volunteers

School Name

Name……………………………………………….

Address……………………………………………..

……………………………………………..

‘phone number……………………………

Volunteers are requested to provide the names of one/two people who will provide a reference.

Do you have any children at this school?………………

Do you have any special skills or interests that you wish to share?

………………………………………………………………………………

First ReferenceSecond Reference

……………………………………………………………………………

I am willing to undergo a Criminal Records Bureau check if required

………………………………….

Signed

This is only a sample form schools can adapt it as they wish.

[2]

Some general guidelines

Volunteers are not qualified teachers (though they may a very few exceptions to this). They should not be left unsupervised with pupils.

Volunteers are not there to ‘fill the gaps’. They should not be doing work formerly carried out by a paid employee.

Volunteers do not have to be parents of pupils at the school. Many retired people have time, patience and experience to share and would welcome the chance to become involved.

People who live close to the school are most likely to volunteer and often word of mouth is the most effective recruitment tool.

Remember that not all volunteers want direct contact with pupils some people might be very happy organising the library, working in the school grounds or doing other odd jobs around school. Find out what people would like to do.

Give volunteers some information about disciplinary procedures in school and who they can go to if they want advice. It is usually best if the volunteer reports poor behaviour to a teacher rather than getting personally involved.

How should they be addressed by the pupils? This is up to the school to decide though it is better not to mix and match with some people being called by their first names and some by their title.

Be aware that some children can become too attached to a particular volunteer especially if they feel they are getting more attention than usual.

There should be regular liaison between staff and volunteers this will help to keep things focused and stop problems developing.

Further information can be obtained from the DfES website

and

a website that promotes voluntary participation in extracurricular activities

[3]

[1]Section 12, p1

[2]Section 12, p2

[3]Section 12. p3