The Single Central Record has always been a fundamental part of safeguarding compliance. It provides a single, centralised record of the pre-employment checks carried out for all staff, supply staff, governors, and volunteers.
While most independent schools already have established SCR processes, the ISI’s 2025 and 2026 updates raise expectations on accuracy, accessibility, and early inspection review. The message is clear: the SCR is now a central focus for inspectors, not just a background compliance document.
The Single Central Record, sometimes called the Single Central Register, is the school’s evidence base that safer recruitment processes are being applied correctly. It documents a series of statutory checks required under the Independent School Standards (ISSR) and Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE). Each record typically includes details such as:
The ISI has published two important updates that directly affect SCR management:
Independent Schools Inspection Handbook (EIF) – January 2025
Operating Guide for Standard Inspections – Effective January 2026
Together, these documents reinforce the SCR as a priority area of scrutiny.
Inspectors will cross-reference SCR entries with individual recruitment files, confirming that evidence (for example, copies of DBS certificates or identity documents) supports what’s recorded. Schools must ensure their SCR can be accessed immediately and accurately reflects their current staff and volunteer population.
Format and Accessibility The 2025 handbook confirms that schools may maintain their SCR in paper or electronic form, but it must be “complete, accurate and readily available.” Many schools now choose digital SCR systems for auditability and version control, but whichever format you use, inspectors will expect instant access and evidence of regular review.
Sampling of Recent Appointments Inspectors will sample checks for all adults recruited since the last inspection, including supply staff, governors, and proprietors. This sampling process tests whether safer recruitment procedures have been followed consistently since your previous visit.
Reinforcement of Independent School Standards Paragraphs 340 and 343 of the updated handbook emphasise that maintaining a compliant SCR is a statutory requirement under Part 4 – Suitability of Staff and Proprietors of the Independent School Standards. This includes ensuring the SCR is regularly reviewed, all checks are dated, and the person completing the checks is clearly identified.
These updates signify a shift towards real-time accountability. The SCR is not only a record of past checks but also evidence that a school continuously manages safer recruitment effectively.
If your SCR is incomplete, outdated, or difficult to access, you risk:
A compliant, well-maintained SCR demonstrates that safeguarding is deeply embedded in your school’s culture and leadership.
To meet ISI’s revised expectations, schools should act now to review and strengthen SCR processes.
1. Conduct an SCR Audit Undertake a full review of your SCR entries, ensuring each record includes all required checks, dates, and initials. Use a checklist based on the latest Independent School Standards.
2. Review Recruitment Files Cross-check that recruitment documentation (such as references, DBS certificates, and identity checks) aligns with SCR entries. Inspectors may sample these files to verify data accuracy.
3. Ensure Accessibility and Version Control If your SCR is electronic, confirm it can be accessed immediately during inspection and includes audit trails showing who made updates and when.
4. Train HR and Safeguarding Leads All staff involved in recruitment or record-keeping should understand the ISI’s emphasis on early inspection review and accuracy. Consider refresher training or policy updates.
5. Implement Regular Reviews Build in termly or half-termly reviews of your SCR to ensure it remains current. This proactive approach reduces errors and ensures inspection readiness at any time.
The ISI’s renewed focus on the Single Central Record aligns with a broader move towards proactive safeguarding assurance. Rather than reacting to compliance gaps, schools are encouraged to view SCR maintenance as an ongoing, dynamic process. An accurate SCR also supports wider governance and leadership accountability, helping governing bodies demonstrate due diligence over recruitment and safegarding.
The ISI’s 2025 and 2026 updates bring the Single Central Record firmly to the front of the inspection process. Schools should now expect inspectors to begin their safeguarding review with the SCR, sampling recent appointments and verifying compliance in detail. By auditing and maintaining a clear, up-to-date SCR, schools not only meet inspection requirements but also demonstrate a genuine commitment to child safety and staff suitability. If your SCR hasn’t been reviewed recently, now is the time to act.
If you’d like help auditing your Single Central Record, implementing a digital SCR solution, or training your safeguarding and HR teams in safer recruitment documentation, our compliance specialists can help. Contact us today to find out how we can support your school in staying inspection-ready and compliant with ISI and DfE standards.
There should be no higher priority for any educational establishment than child safety. Whether this is making sure the corridors are clean and tidy, adequate supervision during activities or taking every possible measure to ensure the employees of the school and any sub-contractors are fully vetted before working with young or vulnerable people.
Keeping the premises tidy and providing adequate supervision for curricular and extra-curricular activities is easy enough to manage and facilitate but what about the employees themselves? There have many published cases in recent years where basic employee vetting protocol has been overlooked and resulted in barred people working with children. How can this be allowed to happen? Some of these cases can be directly attributed to the convoluted systems currently in place and a lack of adequate training for those involved in the recruitment of staff.
Here at onlineSCR we have developed a successful, relatively simple, online resource that allows anyone involved in recruiting staff for schools to check and fully vet all potential employees to ensure they are permitted to work with or in close proximity to children. Previously the administration for such a function involved spreadsheets and dealing with one or more external bodies including Ofsted and the Department of Education and basically taking up a lot of time that could be spent concentrating on the core functions of school rather going through the arduous process of vetting potential employees.
As previously mentioned, centralising your current Single Central Record using our system is relatively straightforward. The first step is log into onlineSCR and register your school or other educational establishment. When this has been completed you simply access your Single Central Record through our 24/7 online portal which is fully compliant with all Ofsted and ISI requirements as set out by the Department of Education ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ guidance. There are options to add additional admin staff and schools if required.
As previously touched upon, the main benefits of our onlineSCR portal is to save time, increase efficiency and ensure compliance with existing and any new guidelines or legislation. Keeping children safe is obviously the main priority but all of the aforementioned benefits combined with the fact that the school can avoid any negative publicity that can arise in the event of an ‘incident’ as a result of mis-administration are obviously attractive attributes for any school.
If our system is something that you think your school could adopt, please contact us for a no obligation discussion. Our team will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the feasibility of onlineSCR for your particular establishment and can also make recommendations if required. You can also get more specific information on the services we offer by checking the relevant pages of our site or calling us on 0151 606 5101.
