DBS and Occupational Health 2023

Instructions

This page contains instructions for completing your DBS and Occupational Health checks before starting your course.

DBS check
DBS Update Service Registration
Occupational Health clearance

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)

All successful candidates for Initial Teacher Training courses are required to undergo an enhanced police check through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) to verify that they are safe to work with children.

You will be receiving an email shortly from First Advantage Online Disclosures, the company Kingston University is using to manage online DBS applications. It is important that you look out for this email and follow the steps below with regard to completing your application.

The University will bear the processing cost of your DBS application; however you will need to pay a small fee to the Post Office for the verification service and an additional £13 per year for the Update Service.

If you already hold a "Child Workforce" Enhanced DBS certificate and have subscribed to the Update Service, you do not need to do another one but will need to complete and submit The Update Service form (see The Update Service tab for more information).

What you need to do next

Look out for the email from First Advantage containing your username and password and use the details to register your account.
Complete and submit your DBS application using your personal documents to confirm your identify and address.
Print the ID Verification Sheet (containing a unique barcode for each document) and take this with your documents (originals only) to a Post Office who offer the ID verification service. To find one nearest to you, go to http://www.postoffice.co.uk/branch-finder. You will need to pay a small charge for the Post Office Verification.
Regularly check your account to keep track of your application.
Subscribe to The Update Service so we can undertake a current online check on your DBS certificate during your studies. This can be done as soon you apply or within 19 days from the date your certificate is issued.
Complete and submit The Update Service form by 28 July 2023.
Only one copy of the Disclosure Certificate is produced by the DBS and this is sent to you at the address you give as your current address on the DBS application form. Please ensure that you bring the certificate with you to the Enrolment and Induction session in September and keep it in a safe place for the entirety of your course.

It is essential that you obtain satisfactory clearance prior to enrolment on the course and as Disclosures can often take months to process, you must take quick action to avoid any delays.

School experience begins very early on in the course and only students who have been DBS & Occupational Health cleared will be permitted to go into schools.

You must contact us immediately if you encounter any issues concerning your application at education@kingston.ac.uk.

DBS important information

Background information

A criminal record is not regarded as an obstacle to studying at Kingston. However, the University must balance its responsibilities towards its partner schools in which the school/setting experience placements are made. In addition, we have to take into account the requirements of various professional bodies that have legal responsibilities to protect special categories of people including children, under the terms of the Protection of Children Act (1999).

The Initial Teacher Training Criteria document issued by the Department for Education stipulates that ITT providers must ensure that entrants on all routes have been subject to a DBS criminal records check, including a check of the children's barred list. We therefore cannot accept any previous Disclosure unless you have already a Child Workforce Enhanced DBS certificate and subscribed to the Update Service.

Declaring relevant information

You should have declared all offences (spent/unspent) including cautions, reprimands and/or warnings held against your name on your UCAS application and the Safeguarding form at interview. These should include any criminal charges/proceedings pending against you. The items will appear on your DBS enhanced disclosure certificate and will be checked against the declaration you made on your application and at interview for consistency. If any discrepancies are found, your future place on the course may be terminated, therefore, it is essential you ensure that a full and accurate declaration was made at the aforementioned key points of the process.

We reserve the right to refuse to admit applicants where their criminal record makes it inappropriate for them to be admitted, in accordance with DBS filtering guidelines.

Without sight of your enhanced disclosure, we cannot enrol you on your course of study.

If there is a change to your DBS (from the date of issue) before or during the course, you must report it to the Head of School immediately.

Prohibition Order List

In accordance with the ITT Criteria, all trainee teachers must undergo a prohibition order check. The University will conduct this check and contact you if your details are found on the prohibition order list. Information about this check can be found on the ITT Criteria document.

Further information about the Prohibition Order List can be found on the government's 'Teacher misconduct: the prohibition of teachers' page.

Time spent overseas and/or travelling

You will be required to account for any time you have spent out of the UK. If you have been travelling, you will be expected to list all the countries visited and the dates you arrived and departed. However, if you have lived abroad for any length of time at a fixed address, you must also obtain a Certificate of Good Conduct from that country as set out in the ITT Criteria document.

This is often a lengthy process but you must endeavour to complete this before you enrol and/or start your school placement. There is often a charge, which varies according to the country, and further information is available here at Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.

If you have lived or worked overseas for a period of more than three months in the last five years, you should contact us with details of your overseas address(es) and confirm that you have requested a Certificate of Good Conduct from the relevant body.

DBS Checklist

The list of identity documents you need to process your DBS application can also be found on the DBS ID checking guidelines government website.

Original documents ONLY – to be taken to the Post Office for verification.

You must select at least ONE of the following documents for your application:

Current valid Passport.
Biometric Residence Permit (UK).
Current UK Photocard Driving Licence, full or provisional.
Birth Certificate (UK and Channel Islands) – issued at time within 12 months of birth.
Adoption Certificate (UK and Channel Islands).

You must select at least TWO of the following proof of current address for your application. If you have recently changed your name, at least one of these documents MUST confirm your current name at your current address.

NB: *should be less than 3 months old; ** should be issued within the past 12 months.

Current UK Driving licence
Current Non-UK Photo Driving Licence (valid for up to 12 months from the date the applicant entered the UK)
Birth Certificate (UK and Channel Islands) – issued after the time of birth by a relevant authority
Marriage/Civil Partnership Certificate (UK and Channel Islands)
Adoption certificate (UK and Channel Islands)
HM Forces ID Card (UK) / EU National ID Card / Work permit/Visa (UK) (UK Residence Permit) valid up to expiry date
Mortgage Statement** (UK or EEA)/ Council Tax Statement** (UK & Channel Islands)
Utility bill* (UK) (i.e. electricity, gas, water, telephone). NOT Mobile Telephone
P45/P60 Statement** (UK and Channel Islands) / Benefit Statement* e.g. Child Allowance, Pension
Bank/Building Society Statement* (UK or EEA) / Credit Card Statement* (UK or EEA)
Bank/Building Society Account Opening Confirmation Letter (UK)
Financial Statement** e.g. pension, endowment, ISA (UK)
Cards carrying PASS accreditation logo (UK and Channel Islands)
Letter of sponsorship from future employment provider (Non-UK/Non-EEA only – valid only for applicants residing outside the UK at time of application)
A document from Central/Local Government/Government Agency/Local Authority giving entitlement (UK & Channel Islands)* e.g. from the Department for Work and Pensions, the Employment Service, Customs & Revenue, Job Centre, Job Centre Plus, Social Security.

Registration for the DBS Update Service

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Update Service allows student teachers to keep their DBS certificate up-to-date. We strongly encourage our student teachers of Kingston University to subscribe to The Update Service for the duration of their studies so that a current online check can be undertaken by the University.

There is an annual charge of £13 which is payable directly to the DBS. By subscribing to The Update Service you will be able to share the information on your DBS certificate with other Registered Bodies. This will save you time and money. In addition, if you decide to take a break from your studies during your course you will not be required to complete a new DBS form when you return, as long as you return to the course within three years of the date on your original DBS disclosure.

Kingston University will NOT receive a copy of your Enhanced Disclosure Certificate. Therefore you must bring your certificate to the enrolment session in September.

You can subscribe to the service as soon as you make your online DBS application or within 19 days from the date your certificate is issued. Subscribing online is quick and simple. Just enter your DBS application form number, name, date of birth and address and pay the subscription fee securely from your account. When your subscription is confirmed you then start to see the benefits of this new service.

How to subscribe to the Update Service

Go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service
Enter your personal details and your DBS application form number. These must match those on your application form.
Answer 'No' to the question 'Does the above application relate to a voluntary position?'
Click "continue".
Make the payment for the subscription fee. A payment confirmation screen will confirm whether payment was successful.
Make a note of your Update Service Number.
Complete and submit this Kingston University Update Service form giving your permission for Kingston University to undertake a check via The Update Service during your course.

This form only needs to be completed if you have a valid Update Service subscription and hold an enhanced DBS certificate in "Child Workforce" either through Kingston University or another provider/employer.

Occupational Health

As you will be aware, one of the conditions on your offer is that you have a satisfactory medical clearance before you start your teacher-training course. We need to establish if you have any specific needs so we can ensure necessary support is put in place enabling you to manage your studies effectively from the start.

Kingston University uses the Health Management Ltd (HML) service to assess students' suitability and determine whether they are medically fit to teach when on school placements.

We will be entering your contact details on the HML database in May 2023 and will email you soon, requesting that you complete your online medical questionnaire.

It is important that you do this without delay so that you can receive clearance and to prevent your HML account from being disabled. Your account will time out after a few days if the questionnaire is not completed so we do encourage you to do this as soon as you receive our email. The good news is that it only takes a few minutes to complete.