We greatly value the time that volunteers give to our school.  Volunteers can be great assets and can play an important role by offering commitment, energy and enthusiasm to a wide range of activities both inside and outside the classroom.

At R A Butler Academy we are committed to providing a safe environment for our children and expect all staff and volunteers to share in this commitment.  All schools have a statutory duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in their care. 

Regular volunteers will be asked to complete a Volunteer Application Form which can be collected from the school office.

The school undertakes the following checks on all volunteers:

• Identity Check
• SD2 Self-Disclosure
• Enhanced DBS check for individuals in regulated activity. 
  Our volunteers are supervised for the vast majority of their time in school, however there may be occasions where a volunteer may for example reading with a child in a corridor outside a classroom and therefore not in direct sight of a member of staff.  The school has therefore made the decision to check all volunteers as engaging in regulated activity.  This includes a Children’s Barred List Check. 
• Checks on individuals who have lived overseas. 
  Although this is an optional check, the school will make every endeavour to obtain a Certificate of Good Conduct from the volunteer.  We do understand that in some circumstances it is not possible to obtain such documentation due to criteria from the country itself or prohibitive cost. 
• Child Disqualification Regulations. 
  This is only required for volunteers working with children in Reception.
• References. 
  It is recommended that appropriate references are sought for volunteers where possible.  Volunteers will be asked to provide two referees on their application form and the school will make every endeavour to secure at least one reference.

Single Central Record.  All checks will be recorded on the Single Central Record.

Interview/Induction
All regular volunteers will be invited for an informal interview/induction prior to starting at the school.  This is an opportunity for us to explain the workings of the school and see how we could best benefit from your skills and also provides you with an opportunity to ask any questions. 

We require all our volunteers to undertake Safeguarding training which will take place either on-line or in person with either the Designated Safeguarding Lead or the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead.