CPD Standards Office accreditedSafer Recruitment Training
In maintained schools in England, at least one interviewer must have completed safer recruitment training, and KCSIE 2026 says everyone recruiting staff to work with children should be trained. Lift College's 2 hour online course gives you a CPD Standards Office accredited certificate on the day you pass, which employers can verify, plus a free refresher every 12 months.
- £19.99, pay once
- CPD certificate the day you pass
- Free refresher when it is due
- 14-day money back
Accredited CPD activityThe CPD Standards Office, provider 51289. Verify accreditation
14-day money back · Pay once, no subscription
Safer Recruitment Training
You can do safer recruitment training online in the UK with Lift College's Safer Recruitment Training course. It is 2 hours of learning in 5 short modules, covering what safer recruitment is for and the legal framework, planning the post and writing an advert and person specification that deter unsuitable applicants, application forms, shortlisting and online searches, references and interviews that explore suitability to work with children, pre-appointment checks including identity, right to work, qualifications, prohibition and DBS, the change to regulated activity with children from 1 September 2026, the single central record, and keeping people safe after appointment. It costs £19.99, pay once, and your accredited CPD certificate is ready the same day you pass. Lift College recommends a refresh every 12 months, when the guidance is updated, and the refresher is free.
Keeping children safe in education 2026 came into force on 1 September 2026. It is statutory guidance for all schools and colleges in England, and part three sets out safer recruitment: the checks that must be done, the principle that recruitment should deter, identify and reject people who may harm children, and the requirement that at least one member of every recruitment panel has completed safer recruitment training. The 2026 edition also removed the shorter version of part one, so every member of staff now reads the same safeguarding expectations.
From the same date, the supervision exemption for regulated activity with children was removed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Disclosure and Barring Service's own guidance explains what that means: supervision of paid staff and volunteers no longer takes their work outside regulated activity, so more roles are eligible for an enhanced DBS check with a children's barred list check, in schools and colleges and also in sports clubs, charities, youth organisations and activity providers. The legislation does not itself require a check or require anyone to be suspended while a check is processed; organisations remain responsible for assessing each role and deciding what level of check is legally available. This course explains the change plainly and shows how to apply it to your own staff and volunteers. It is written for England and notes where Wales and Northern Ireland differ.
- Explain the purpose of safer recruitment and the duties in Keeping children safe in education 2026 part three and the School Staffing (England) Regulations 2009
- Plan a post, write an advert, job description and person specification that make the organisation's commitment to safeguarding clear and deter unsuitable applicants
- Use application forms rather than CVs, check for gaps and inconsistencies, shortlist fairly and carry out an online search on shortlisted candidates
- Obtain and scrutinise references before interview and ask the questions that test suitability to work with children
- Carry out the pre-appointment checks: identity, right to work, qualifications, prohibition from teaching and management, section 128 checks, DBS and barred list checks, overseas checks and disqualification
- Apply the definition of regulated activity with children as it stands from 1 September 2026 and decide which check is legally available for a role
- Complete and maintain the single central record and keep safeguarding alive after appointment through induction, probation and ongoing vigilance
5 short modules, 2 hours in total.
Why safer recruitment and what the law says
How people who harm children get into organisations, deter, identify and reject, Keeping children safe in education 2026 part three, the School Staffing (England) Regulations 2009, the panel training requirement, and the picture in nurseries, clubs, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Knowledge checkPlanning the post and attracting the right people
Job descriptions and person specifications that include safeguarding responsibilities, adverts that state the checks, application forms and why CVs are not enough, and declarations about convictions and the filtering rules.
Knowledge checkShortlisting, online searches, references and interviews
Scrutinising applications for gaps and inconsistencies, online searches on shortlisted candidates and what to do with what you find, references obtained before interview and verified, interview questions that explore motivation, attitudes and boundaries, and recording the panel's reasoning.
Knowledge checkPre-appointment checks, DBS and regulated activity
Identity, right to work, qualifications, prohibition orders, section 128 directions, childcare disqualification, DBS levels and the children's barred list, the removal of the supervision exemption from 1 September 2026, overseas checks, agency and supply staff, volunteers, contractors and governors, and starting before a certificate arrives.
Knowledge checkThe single central record and after appointment
What the single central record must contain, who it covers, keeping it accurate, induction and the code of conduct, probation, allegations and low-level concerns, and reviewing recruitment practice after a case.
Knowledge checkFinal test and your certificate
Multiple choice, 80% to pass, unlimited attempts. Your CPD Standards Office accredited certificate is issued the day you pass.
This course is for you if
- You are a headteacher, senior leader, governor or trustee
- You are a school or college business manager or HR lead
- You manage a nursery, out-of-school club, sports club or youth organisation
- You sit on recruitment panels for roles with children
- You keep or audit the single central record
Your CPD accredited certificate, issued the day you pass.
Your certificate records that you completed Safer Recruitment Training with Lift College. It shows 2 hours of learning, your completion date and a recommended refresh date 12 months on.
- One price, £19.99. One payment, one learner, no subscription.
- Short modules with a knowledge check after each one and a final test. Instant results.
- 80% to pass, with unlimited free retakes.
- A CPD accredited certificate as a PDF the same day you pass, carrying the CPD Standards Office mark, our provider number 51289, a unique number and a verification link.
- Access for as long as Lift College offers the course, and never less than 3 years from the day you buy.
- A free refresher when your recommended refresh date arrives. Changed your mind? Ask within 14 days of paying and we refund you in full.
LC-CPD-SAMPLECertificate numberAccredited continuing professional developmentCertificate of CompletionThis is to certify thatAlex Johnsonhas successfully completed the CPD course
Dr Kate StrohmManaging Director, Lift CollegeSample certificateAn example only. It has no numberand cannot be verified.LC-CPD-SAMPLELift College Limited is a CPD Standards Office accredited provider (number 51289). This course is an accredited CPD activity.This certificate confirms completion of a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) course. It is not an Ofqual-regulated qualification.Lift College Ltd · Registered in England and Wales, Company No. 17337303 · Unit 3 E/F Suffolk House Business Park, Ashwells Road, Brentwood, Essex, CM15 9SG · liftcollege.co.ukA sample. Yours carries your name, the date you pass and a unique certificate number with a QR code anyone can scan to check it, or check a certificate at liftcollege.co.uk/verify.
The law this course supports
Keeping children safe in education 2026
Statutory guidance for schools and colleges in England, in force from 1 September 2026. Part three sets out safer recruitment, the pre-appointment checks, the single central record and the requirement that at least one member of a recruitment panel has completed safer recruitment training.
Read the legislation →DBS: Regulated activity with children, the September 2026 supervision exemption changes
From 1 September 2026 the supervision exemption was removed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, so supervised paid staff and volunteers who otherwise meet the criteria are in regulated activity with children. The change does not itself require a DBS check or require anyone to be suspended; organisations assess each role and decide what level of check is legally available.
Read the legislation →School Staffing (England) Regulations 2009
Require maintained schools to carry out the pre-appointment checks and to ensure at least one person on an appointment panel has completed safer recruitment training. Academies and independent schools have equivalent requirements in their own regulations.
Read the legislation →Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
Defines regulated activity, creates the barred lists and makes it an offence to knowingly employ a barred person in regulated activity, or for a barred person to seek such work.
Read the legislation →£19.99. Pay once, nothing added.
One payment for one learner. You keep access for as long as Lift College offers the course, and never less than 3 years. Changed your mind? Ask within 14 days and we refund you in full.
- PaySecure card payment, one time only.
- Sign inYour learner account is ready straight away.
- StartBegin module 1 the same minute.
Free refresher when it is due
We recommend a refresh every 12 months. We email you 30 days before, and from the refresh date you can retake the latest version free and download a new certificate.
Buying Safer Recruitment Training for a team?
Open a free organisation account, buy places and give each person their own login. The price falls the more places you buy.
Multiple enrolment discounts
The price of a place is set by the places in one order, on this course or any mix of our CPD courses. Saving against the £19.99 single place.
| Places in one order | Price a place | Saving |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 9 places | £16.99 | 15% off |
| 10 to 49 | £14.99 | 25% off |
| 50 to 99 | £12.99 | 35% off |
| 100 to 249 | £10.99 | 45% off |
| 250 or more | £9.99 | 50% off |
What would your team cost?
Training each person on several courses? A sector pack or the annual plan can cost less. Your quote compares all three for you.
Prefer to talk first? Request a call back
- 1
Your own training portal in 2 minutes
Open a free account with your work email. No sales call, and no minimum order.
- 2
See where everyone stands
A progress dashboard, a training matrix and an Excel progress report for your records.
- 3
Reminders sent for you
Welcome emails, nudges for anyone who stalls, and refresher dates so nobody goes out of date.
- 4
Pay by card or invoice
Card, or invoice on 30-day terms with your PO. Places stay valid for 3 years.
- 5
A human tutor with every course
Real tutor support for your staff, unlimited free retakes and a certificate the day they pass.
- 6
Accredited by the CPD Standards Office
Provider 51289. Every CPD course is an accredited CPD activity.
Check any learner's certificate in our register →
What our learners say
Stories from Lift College learners on our qualifications, in their own words.
“I had been a care assistant for four years without a formal qualification. Lift College made the whole process straightforward, my assessor visited regularly and I completed my Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care in just over a year. I was promoted to senior care worker the month after I qualified.”
“My employer was clear, I needed GCSE English to move into a supervisory role. Lift College helped me find the right exam board and an exam centre five minutes from home. Passed grade 4. Got the promotion.”
“My employer needed me to have Level 2 maths before they could register me on the Level 3 apprenticeship programme. Lift College was fast, the tutor was brilliant, and I resit my maths once after a near-miss and passed the second time. The whole thing took twelve weeks.”
Questions about Safer Recruitment Training
Does this course meet the KCSIE requirement for panel members?
Keeping children safe in education 2026 requires that at least one person on a recruitment panel has completed safer recruitment training, and leaves the choice of training to the governing body or proprietor. This course covers part three of the guidance in full, with a dated, verifiable CPD Standards Office accredited certificate (provider number 51289). Your governing body decides whether it meets its needs.
Is this course CPD accredited?
Yes. Safer Recruitment Training is an accredited CPD activity with the CPD Standards Office, the UK's research-led CPD accreditation body. Lift College Limited is a CPD Standards Office accredited provider (provider number 51289), and your certificate carries the CPD Standards Office mark and our provider number so an employer or professional body can check it.
What changed on 1 September 2026?
Two things. Keeping children safe in education 2026 came into force, with a single part one for all staff. And the supervision exemption for regulated activity with children was removed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, so supervision no longer takes a paid or volunteer role outside regulated activity. Module 4 explains how to apply the new definition and which DBS check is available for each role.
Do we have to re-check everyone now?
No. DBS states that the change does not create a new requirement to carry out checks and does not require anyone to be suspended while a check is processed. It is a timely moment to review your workforce and volunteer checks, and you may choose to prioritise people whose certificates do not include a children's barred list check. The course shows how to do that review.
Can a new starter begin before the DBS certificate arrives?
KCSIE allows a start before the certificate is received only where all other checks are complete, a separate barred list check has been done, and a risk assessment is in place with appropriate supervision. Module 4 covers when that is acceptable and how to record it.
What does this course not cover?
It does not cover handling allegations against staff in detail, which is part four of KCSIE and Lift College's Designated Safeguarding Lead course, and it does not replace legal or HR advice on an individual appointment or disclosure.
How long do I keep access?
You keep your access for as long as Lift College offers the course, and never less than 3 years from the day you buy. Your certificate PDF is yours to keep.
What is the free refresher?
Lift College recommends refreshing this course every 12 months. When your date comes round, you can retake the latest version free and get a new certificate. We email you 30 days before.
Does it count towards my CPD?
Yes. The course is 2 hours of learning, shown on your CPD Standards Office accredited certificate, so you can log the hours in your CPD record.
Can I get my money back?
Yes. Ask within 14 days of paying and we refund you in full.
Can my employer pay?
Yes. Your receipt shows the course, the date and the amount paid, and you can pass it to your employer. Buying for a team? Open a free organisation account: every course is £16.99, and you can pay by card or invoice with your PO.
Can my team do this course in another language?
Yes, on an organisation account with 10 or more places. Your team can study Safer Recruitment Training in Polish, Romanian, Punjabi, Urdu or Welsh, prepared within 1 working day of your order. The final test and the certificate stay in the English course name, so the certificate is the one every employer recognises. Tell us the languages you need when you order or ask for a quote.
Where can I do safer recruitment training online in the UK?
Lift College offers Safer Recruitment Training online for £19.99, pay once. It is 2 hours of learning in 5 short modules, written for schools, colleges, nurseries and clubs in England, with the Wales and Northern Ireland position noted. Your accredited CPD certificate is ready the same day you pass.
How long does online safer recruitment training take?
Safer Recruitment Training is 2 hours of learning in 5 short modules, each with a knowledge check. You can finish it in one sitting or across several and pick up where you left off on any device. The final test needs 80% to pass, with unlimited free retakes.
How much does Safer Recruitment Training cost online?
Lift College's Safer Recruitment Training is £19.99, pay once, with no subscription. Training a team? It is £16.99 a course on a free organisation account.
How is Safer Recruitment Training assessed?
By a short knowledge check after each of the 5 modules and a final test. You need 80% to pass, with unlimited free retakes, and your accredited CPD certificate is ready the same day you pass.
Can I start Safer Recruitment Training today?
Yes. You start the moment you pay, on any device, and you can finish the 2 hours of learning in one sitting or across several. Your accredited CPD certificate is ready the same day you pass. Buying for a team? Open a free organisation account.
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