We are delighted that you are interested in volunteering at Cardinal Newman School. We value the involvement of volunteers in our children’s education and we encourage you to actively join us to help out and share your skills to benefit our children’s learning.  This LEAFLET explains the many ways you can volunteer in school.

Before you start helping as a volunteer:

• You will need an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. All information is treated in the strictest confidence. These checks are an Ofsted requirement in the best interests and safety of the children, and to comply with Safeguarding procedures
• Read and complete a number of documents, and an online Safeguarding training session led by Anne Halliday, Xavier MAT Head of Safeguarding.
• If you have not been resident in the UK for at least the previous 5 years, you may be asked to provide a certificate of good conduct from each country where you have resided for 12 months or more.

The Application Process

1. Please complete the APPLICATION FORM and return it to the school office either by email to office@cardinalnewmanschool.co.uk or hand in a hard copy.  Remember to include the contact details of a referee.  Your personal statement does not have to be lengthy – a couple of sentences explaining why you would like to work with children is enough.
2. Complete the ONLINE DBS APPLICATION.  (There is an admin fee of £10.00 (£10.50 from 1st April 2023) payable via Scopay.  If you don’t have a Scopay account, please contact the school office who will create one for you.)  You will need the following login details :

         Organisation Reference         9363919

         Organisation Code                  CRBcheck (case sensitive)

3. When you have completed your online DBS application, please bring to the office the following three original and current ID documents:

• Passport
• Driving licence
• either - Marriage certificate (essential if you are married and have changed your name), Birth Certificate, Council Tax Statement (must be dated within 12 months), or bank statement (cannot be online printout and must be dated within 3 months).  Further information about what ID you can provide can be found below. 

4. Your DBS Certificate will be posted to your home address.  Please bring it with you and show it to the office when you volunteer for the first time.  At this stage, it’s a good idea to register for the Update Service which is free and less time-consuming than applying for a new DBS check.
5. When you have received your DBS Certificate, we’ll send you a link to complete the online Safeguarding Training. 
6. Once you have completed the training, please sign and return the SAFEGUARDING DECLARATION.

When the above stages are complete, you will be given your own personalised lanyard which you must wear in school at all time when you’re volunteering, and return to the office after each volunteering session.

As long as you come in to school at least once per term, your DBS will remain valid for volunteering with us for 3 years.  After then, we can either re-check your status using the Update Service (with your CONSENT) or you can apply for a new DBS check, following the above steps.

If you need further help at any stage of the process, please do not hesitate to contact office@cardinalnewmanschool.co.uk or call in to the office if you would prefer to speak to someone about your application.

We hold regular Safeguarding sessions. Please contact the office for details. 

Thank you very much for your help and support.