Private tutors must have a criminal record check, urges NSPCC

Children’s charity NSPCC says a loophole must be closed that allows private tutors to work without having had a criminal record check.

It is urging the government to make criminal record checks compulsory for all private tutors.

Around one in four children receive extra, out-of-school tuition, says the charity. But there is no legal requirement on the thousands of self-employed private tutors in the UK to undergo a criminal record check which would reveal details of any child sex offences.

If they are supplied by an agency tutors would be checked by their employer, but if they are self-employed the same level of checking would not necessarily be undertaken.

This is in contrast to jobs such as accountants, vets and even traffic wardens, whose work does not involve children but still require a basic criminal record check on entry to the profession.