Should Private Tutors face DBS Criminal Record checks?

In the past decade, in UK and Wales, the use of Private tutors has become more popular. A survey commissioned by the Sutton Trust stated; there are more than 350,000 high school students who have received some private tuition in 2018. With this there is an increasing rate of full-time private tutors, currently around 100,000, according to the Tutors’ Association.

The tutors working with children are not enforced to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check before working with children. Which is not the case when it comes to teaching in schools. Teachers are required to an enhanced DBS check. This looks to see if they have any criminal convictions or have been barred from working with children beforehand.

One of the biggest UK teaching unions has made an announcement that; Private Tutors should face DBS criminal checks before being allowed to work with children.

It is said that teachers who have been barred from teaching often aim to become a private tutors, primarily because they understand that a DBS check is not mandatory.

The research from the Sutton Trust Charity suggests that in the last decade, the number of students that have began learning with private tutors, as apposed to schools, has doubled. Students say that their parents pay for additional tuition to aid working towards their final GCSE exams.

In May 2018, a 49 year-old Sanjeev Mittal was jailed for five years for abusing two girls during home school lessons.

Therefore the government advise that parents should always carry out a series of checks before having their children learn with private tutors.

But what do you think?

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-44847114