Top Greater Manchester private school slammed for not checking criminal records of some staff

A top performing private school in South Manchester failed to vet some of its staff, including not checking their criminal records, according to inspectors. Withington Girls' School, which was recently ranked the best private school in the North West, was criticised for not checking the suitability of some staff.

The report by the Independent Schools Inspectorate praised the quality of education provided, but said the school had failed to meet certain standards. The school was instructed to take 'immediate action' to address these failures which were identified in 'isolated instances' during the inspection in February.

A spokesperson for the school said it has now implemented an action plan. Inspectors found that the school's procedures for checking the suitability of staff were not sufficiently rigorous to ensure pupils' safety and wellbeing.

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They said that the school makes appropriate checks to ensure the suitability of supply staff and proprietors, but it had not undertaken the full range of suitability checks for every member of staff before they started at the school. This includes 'isolated instances' where a criminal record certificate with barring information was not obtained, according to the school's records.

The report said: "The school’s records show isolated instances where a criminal record certificate with barring information has not been obtained, and where there has been a failure to check that person’s identity, medical fitness, right to work in the UK and qualifications."

Entries showing that checks of a member of staff's identity, qualifications and right to work in the UK have been made where also missing in some