To ask the Minister of Education to detail the number of people currently working in schools without an Access NI Check in roles that have contact with children and young people.

All education workers employed in a statutory education setting in a regulated activity post are required to complete an Access NI check. These checks are carried out by the relevant employing authority.

Both the Education Authority (EA) and Council for Catholic Maintained schools (CCMS) have confirmed that there are no teaching staff working in schools with an outstanding Access NI check.

Support staff are employed by the EA, and they have advised that in the case of a short-term temporary hire or emergency cover appointment, it is not always possible to finalise the Access NI check prior to engagement. When awaiting the outcome of an Access NI check, the school principal is required to complete a risk assessment, ensure the staff member is supervised at all times by someone who is vetted to work in regulated activity and follow-up to confirm that the Access NI check has subsequently been completed.

As of 5 February 2025, there were 1,534 Access NI checks in progress for support staff engaged in this manner. These can be broken down as follows:

*The above figures include support staff employed in both Controlled and Maintained schools.

I have written to the EA Chief Executive asking him to review the process for support staff and take action to ensure that the number of outstanding checks is kept to a minimum