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 to follow the application process below. 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.

You will also need to complete two safeguarding training sessions.

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. 1. Cardinal Newman School Application Form

Complete the APPLICATION FORM and email it to the school office office@cardinalnewmanschool.co.uk or hand in a hard copy.  Remember to include the contact details of a referee and your email address.  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 Strictly Education online application

When we have received the above application form, you will receive an email from Strictly Education with a link to access the online DBS portal.  You then should follow THIS GUIDANCE to complete and submit your online application with Strictly Education. There is a Strictly Education admin fee of £10.50 which will be added to your Scopay account.

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,  or Council Tax Statement (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. 

3. Attend an online training session with the Xavier Safeguarding Lead 

This session lasts approximately one hour.  

4. Complete The National College Safeguarding training 

A link to complete this training will be emailed to you by the school when steps 1-3 have been completed.

5. Safeguarding Declaration

Sign and return to the school office.

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 for volunteers and may avoid having to re-apply for an additional DBS check.

You will be given your own personalised lanyard which you must wear when volunteering in school at all times, and return it 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.