Vetting nursery workers: cutting through the confusion
Ask ten nursery managers what vetting checks they need to do, and you’ll get ten slightly different answers. Is the DBS Update Service mandatory or just recommended? Can you accept a DBS from another employer? Do agency staff need the same checks as permanent employees? What about volunteers?
If you’ve ever felt confused about what’s actually required versus what’s just “nice to have,” you’re not alone. The vetting landscape has changed significantly — especially with the 2024 EYFS updates — and many settings are still working with outdated information. Here’s what’s really required, and what Ofsted is actually looking for.
The questions nurseries get wrong most often
What Ofsted is actually looking for
Ofsted’s approach to safeguarding inspections has tightened significantly since the 2024 EYFS updates. Inspectors are looking for evidence that your vetting is current, complete, and documented — not just that it was done at some point in the past.
The statutory minimum vs Kalendit standard
| Check | Statutory minimum | Kalendit standard |
|---|---|---|
| Enhanced DBS — children’s barred list | ✓ Required | ✓ + Update Service |
| Right to work | ✓ Required | ✓ + re-verification for time-limited documents |
| References | ✓ 2 required | ✓ Referee identity independently verified, 3 years minimum |
| Qualification verification | ✓ Required | ✓ Cross-referenced against DfE approved list in real-time |
| Paediatric first aid | ✓ Required | ✓ In-date, with expiry tracking |
| Safeguarding training | ✓ Required | ✓ 90% pass rate on in-app assessment |
| ID verification | ✓ Required | ✓ Video call verification at onboarding |
| Online presence check | ✗ Not required | ✓ Conducted at onboarding |
| Employment gap explanation | ✗ Not required | ✓ Required for all gaps |
Single Central Record: Every nursery must maintain an SCR for all staff and regular volunteers. When you use Kalendit, all vetting documentation for every educator you book is automatically stored and instantly accessible for any inspection — no manual admin required.
The qualification trap
The UK government’s list of full and relevant early years qualifications updates regularly. Manually checking whether a Level 2 or Level 3 qualification remains approved is time-consuming and error-prone. Miss an update, and you could unknowingly count unqualified staff toward ratios — operating below legal requirements without realising it.
Kalendit matches qualification codes against the DfE-approved list in real-time, auto-syncing with updates. If a qualification is removed from the approved list, we flag it immediately.