Upcoming changes to the Teaching Regulation Agency

From April 2024, changes to the way the Teaching Regulation Agency runs it's online Employer Access Portal will come into effect.

To help you stay one step ahead in your safer recruitment strategy our Safer Recruitment Manager, Beth Alberga, takes you through the essential changes to the service so that you can ease into new processes.   

Why is the Employer Access Portal changing? 

The current Employer Access Portal can be used to view information for all those prevented from teaching by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) or the General Teaching Council for England. This includes access to data for those who have failed their induction and those who have been found guilty of serious misconduct but not prevented from teaching. This current approach is inconsistent with GDPR, prompting an update to the TRA service.

What are the changes to the current system?

To carry out your prohibition checks from April 2024, you must use the updated Teachers Record Portal which can be accessed here.

The updated portal can be accessed using your current login details for the TRA Employer Access Portal.

Instead of using the teacher reference number and DOB you can now search for the applicant using their surname and DOB. This will present you with possible matches for your applicant and show any sanctions or restrictions you need to consider.

If you intend to employ an applicant before the DBS has been returned, then you must ensure those who will be engaged in regulated activity are not barred from carrying out the work before they commence their employment with you.

To do this going forward, go to https://check-the-childrens-barred-list.education.gov.uk/sign-in and sign in using your existing TRA login details. Don’t forget to check all previous surnames your applicant is known by to ensure you have the most robust check in place together. You will need to carry out a risk assessment detailing what supervision will be in place until the return of the DBS certificate.

Other factors to consider

Applicants subject to a section 128 sanction or restriction will need to have additional checks carried out outside of the TRA platform, which can be checked via the government-issued list here. 

Please note that the process for checking 128 sanctions and restrictions may change nearer the launch in April.

If you’re looking for support with your recruitment process, we’re here to help with relevant training and model policies. Contact us to learn how we can best support you.