Does an Academy Trust’s Chair of Trustees need to have their DBS Certificate countersigned by the Secretary of State for Education?

Yes - all academy trust chairs of trustees must apply for an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate and have their application countersigned by the Secretary of State for Education. All new chairs require a new enhanced DBS certificate, regardless of positions held previously at a different trust. Only chairs of trustees with an enhanced DBS certificate from the same school prior to converting to an academy trust are exempt. The chair of trustees is responsible for ensuring that other members and trustees have an up-to-date enhanced DBS certificate, but these do not need to be countersigned by the Secretary of State. Once the individual (Chair of Multi Academy Trust) has received their DBS, they should retain a copy for themselves and send the original to the below address recorded delivery, the DFE will then arrange for it to be countersigned and returned to the individual for sharing with the Academy as appropriate. Academy trust chair suitability check, here.