Right to Work checks for schools are a legal requirement for every member of staff — yet they remain one of the most commonly incomplete entries on a school's Single Central Record. Whether you are recruiting a new teacher, hiring a site manager, or taking on a paid worker in any role, you must verify that every individual has the legal right to work in the UK before they begin.
This guide covers exactly what Right to Work checks involve, who they apply to in a school setting, how to carry them out correctly, and how to record the outcome on your SCR in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025.
In this guide:
A Right to Work check is a process by which an employer verifies that a person is legally permitted to work in the United Kingdom. It is separate from a DBS check, a prohibition from teaching check, or any other pre-employment screening — it focuses solely on a person's immigration and citizenship status.
The check was introduced under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 and is enforced by the Home Office. Employing someone without the right to work in the UK can result in a civil penalty of £45,000 per illegal worker for a first breach and £60,000 per worker for repeat breaches, and in serious cases, criminal prosecution.
For schools, getting this right is not just a compliance matter — it forms part of your safer recruitment obligations and must be recorded on your Single Central Record.
Yes. Right to Work checks for schools are a statutory requirement for all employers in the UK, including maintained schools, academies, free schools, independent schools, and multi-academy trusts.
Under KCSIE 2025, schools must also record evidence that a Right to Work check has been carried out on the Single Central Record for all members of staff who work in a school environment. This applies regardless of role, seniority, or contract type.
Failing to carry out and record a Right to Work check leaves your school exposed in two ways: to a Home Office civil penalty, and to a safeguarding inspection failure if the gap is identified during an Ofsted or ISI inspection.
Right to Work checks for schools apply to all employees. Unlike some checks on the Single Central Record that vary by role — such as QTS verification for teachers or Section 128 checks for governors — Right to Work applies to everyone who is employed by the school.
This includes:
For supply staff provided through a recruitment agency, the responsibility for carrying out the Right to Work check sits with the agency, not the school. However, schools should obtain written confirmation from the agency that the check has been carried out before the individual begins working on site. This confirmation must also be recorded on your SCR.
Governors and trustees are volunteers rather than employees, so the Right to Work requirements under the Immigration Acts do not strictly apply. However, if a governor or trustee is also a paid employee of the school or trust, the check must be carried out and recorded in their capacity as an employee.
There are two main methods for carrying out a Right to Work check: a manual document check, or an online check via the Home Office checking service. The method you use will depend on the individual's nationality and the documents they are able to provide.
For British and Irish nationals, and for those with indefinite leave to remain evidenced by a physical document, a manual Right to Work check is the standard method. The process is:
The online checking service must be used for anyone whose immigration status is held digitally — which now covers the vast majority of non-UK and non-Irish nationals. This includes those with an eVisa, settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, a Frontier Worker Permit, or status previously evidenced by a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) or Biometric Residence Card (BRC).
It is important to note that physical BRPs and BRCs are no longer valid proof of right to work. These cards were phased out as the UK moved to a digital eVisa system, and you should not accept a physical BRP even if the card itself has not visibly expired. Instead, the individual must generate a share code through their UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account, which you then verify online. Accepting an expired or physical BRP will not give you a statutory excuse against a civil penalty.
The Home Office online Right to Work checking service allows employers to verify an individual's status in real time. The employee generates a share code through their UK Visas and Immigration account, which the employer then enters alongside the employee's date of birth on the checking service.
The result confirms whether the individual has the right to work, and if so, for how long. You must:
Where an individual has a time-limited right to work — for example, a member of staff on a visa — you must carry out a repeat Right to Work check before their permission expires. Failing to do this removes the statutory excuse that protects the school from a civil penalty if the individual is later found to be working illegally.
Setting a reminder for repeat checks is a key reason why purpose-built SCR software is more reliable than a spreadsheet for managing Right to Work compliance.
KCSIE 2025 requires schools to record confirmation that a Right to Work check has been carried out on the Single Central Record for all staff. The entry must show:
It is not sufficient to simply tick a box. Inspectors will look for evidence that the check was conducted before the individual began work, not retrospectively. If you are using a digital SCR system, the date should be logged at the point the check is completed. If you are using a spreadsheet, ensure the date reflects when the check actually took place — not when it was entered into the record.
Right to Work checks and identity checks are separate requirements on the SCR. Many schools conflate the two. An identity check confirms who someone is; a Right to Work check confirms they are permitted to work in the UK. Both must be recorded independently on the SCR, even if the same document (such as a passport) was used to satisfy both requirements.
Right to Work checks are straightforward in principle, but schools consistently make the same errors. Here are the most common gaps identified during Ofsted inspections:
❌ Not carrying out the check before the start date
The Right to Work check must be completed before employment begins. Carrying it out on day one, or after the employee has started, removes your statutory protection.
❌ Accepting copies instead of originals
Manual document checks must be carried out on original documents. Scanned or photocopied documents do not provide a statutory excuse against a civil penalty.
❌ Accepting a physical BRP or passport for digital-status holders
Anyone whose status is held digitally — including EU Settlement Scheme and former BRP holders — must prove their right to work via an online share code. A physical BRP is no longer valid evidence, and a passport alone is not sufficient.
❌ Not recording the check on the SCR
Completing the check but failing to log it on the SCR is one of the most common inspection failures. No record means no evidence — and no evidence means no statutory protection.
❌ Forgetting repeat checks for time-limited right to work
If a member of staff is on a visa, the right to work expires. Schools must carry out a repeat check before that expiry date and record it on the SCR.
❌ Assuming agency confirmation is not needed on the SCR
For supply staff, written confirmation from the agency that they have completed the Right to Work check must be obtained and recorded. Verbal assurance is not sufficient.
Managing Right to Work checks across a school — and keeping them accurately recorded on the SCR — is significantly easier with a purpose-built system. OnlineSCR is designed specifically for schools and MATs, giving you a clear, auditable record of every check for every member of staff.
With OnlineSCR you can:
If your SCR is currently held in a spreadsheet, Right to Work is one of the areas most likely to contain gaps or inconsistencies. A dedicated system removes that risk and gives your safeguarding lead confidence that every entry is complete.
Keep your Single Central Record inspection-ready
OnlineSCR helps schools manage Right to Work checks, DBS records, and every KCSIE requirement in one place.
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