Capita has advised all users that the current Teachers’ Pensions Online (TP Online) Service will cease to operate from 31 March 2021 and will be transferred to the Department for Education (DfE).
Employers working outside the educational settings will no longer have the legal requirements to check the children’s barred list status of individuals who are applying for the roles in schools, colleges and universities. Those outside of the educational settings include recruitment, supply and HR agencies.
The new DfE service is strictly limited to employers of staff in educational settings who are responsible for checking the suitability of applicants seeking to engage in regulated activity. If you do not fall within the legal requirements you will not be able access the replacement system. As educational settings have the facility to check the barred list status, there is no requirement to involve a third party.
Prior to 1st of April Educational settings could carry out separate barred list checks (formerly known as List 99) through third parties, these checks where commonly used in circumstances where an applicant is still waiting for their Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to be disclosed but is due to commence work in the school that day, in line with the schools safeguarding policies they could carry out a separate barred list check including all other pre-appointment checks with risk assessments etc.., to enable the person to commence work.
Schools, colleges and universities have access to the teaching regulation agency portal (Secure Access) through the Department for Education (DFE), will be able to carry out the children’s barred list check directly alongside other checks such as QTS, Prohibition from Teaching and Section 128 via the Department for Education.
It is important that these changes are made aware to schools, colleges and universities to ensure they are following the correct legal requirements when recruiting staff.
If you have any further queries please contact the Department for Education.
