Check the children's barred list
Check if a new employee can work with children while you wait for Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks.
Applies to England
As a recruiting organisation there are pre-appointment checks you need to make before an employee can work with children.
You must have a legitimate interest in the person you are checking. This means you have engaged or are considering engaging them in regulated activity.
The children’s barred list is usually checked as part of a new employee’s enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
Recruiting organisations can check the children’s barred list separately if the new employee:
- will start working with children while waiting for the result of an enhanced DBS check
- only needs a barred list check and not an enhanced DBS check because they’ve worked with children or young people in a school or college within the last 3 months prior to appointment
Find out how to request an enhanced DBS check for an employee.
Before starting
Before you check a potential employees’s record, you should confirm the teacher’s identity.
Who can do the checks
The following recruiting organisations can check the children’s barred list:
- schools
- colleges
- local authorities
- higher education institutions
- single and multi-academy trusts
The information you will need
You will need the new employee’s last name and date of birth to check the children’s barred list.
People on the children’s barred list are not allowed to work with children. If your check results in a possible match, you will need to contact the DBS to verify it is the correct person.
How to access the list
You can use your DfE Sign-in account to gain access or use the information below to help you create an account.
If you do not have a DfE sign-in account
If you do not have an account you can:
- ask your organisation’s approver to create an account for you
- use the contact form to request an account if you do not have an approver
- email teaching.status@education.gov.uk if you work for a teacher supply agency, you should normally receive a response within 5 working days
- check a teacher’s record while you wait for your DfE Sign-in account by emailing tra.prohibition@education.gov.uk and using ‘urgent query’ in the subject line
Updates to this page
Published 26 June 2024Last updated 21 January 2025 + show all updates
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Updated information on how to check the children's barred list and the DfE sign-in account.
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First published.