A practical, honest guide to checking a private tutor's DBS status, understanding what QTS does (and doesn't) mean, and what to put in writing before the first session
Book a Free ConsultationVetting a private tutor properly means checking three separate things, not one: whether they have a current criminal record check at the right level, whether their qualifications and experience actually match what your child needs, and whether the practical terms of the arrangement — payment, cancellation, safeguarding — are in writing before the first session. Parents often focus on a single question ("are they DBS-checked?") and stop there, but a DBS certificate on its own tells you almost nothing about whether someone can teach, and a teaching qualification tells you almost nothing about their criminal record. This guide covers all three areas honestly, including where the law is genuinely ambiguous and where "industry standard" simply means "what reputable providers choose to do."
A DBS check is a criminal record check carried out by the Disclosure and Barring Service, the government body that holds and discloses this information in England and Wales (Disclosure Scotland and AccessNI run the equivalent services in Scotland and Northern Ireland). There are four levels, and the difference between them matters far more than most parents realise:
Basic check: shows unspent convictions and conditional cautions only. Anyone can apply for their own Basic check directly. For a role involving unsupervised contact with a child, a Basic check is close to meaningless — it will not show older convictions, however serious, once they are legally "spent".
Standard check: adds spent convictions and cautions to the unspent record, giving a much fuller history. Standard checks are only available for roles that are legally exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, and one-to-one private tutoring arranged directly between a tutor and a family does not, on its own, typically qualify for this route.
Enhanced check: includes everything in a Standard check, plus any further information held by local police forces that is reasonably considered relevant to the specific role — for example, allegations or intelligence that did not result in a conviction but raise a genuine safeguarding concern. This is the level most tutoring agencies use.
Enhanced check with barred list check: adds a check against the official list of individuals barred from working with children (or vulnerable adults) altogether. This is the highest level available and the one worth asking for when a tutor will be alone with a minor on a regular basis.
For one-to-one tutoring of a child or teenager, an Enhanced DBS check with a barred list check is the level that actually functions as a safeguard. A tutor telling you they have "a DBS check" without specifying the level could mean anything from a Basic check they ran on themselves to a full Enhanced-with-barred-list check completed by a vetting agency — always ask which level, when it was issued, and whether it was for the barred list specifically.
| Vetting step | What it actually verifies | What to ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Enhanced DBS check + barred list | No disqualifying criminal record; not on the children's barred list | Certificate number, issue date, and confirmation the barred list box was ticked |
| Photo ID verification | The person is who they say they are, and matches the DBS certificate | Passport or driving licence checked against the certificate name |
| Qualification / experience check | Subject knowledge and relevant experience at the level being taught — not the same as safeguarding | Degree subject and grade, exam board familiarity, years tutoring this level |
| Reference from a genuine client | Reliability, communication, and results in practice, not on paper | At least one contactable parent reference, ideally by phone |
| Written agreement / contract | Payment, cancellation, safeguarding and data terms are agreed, not assumed | A document or email confirming all of the terms below before the first paid session |
This is where a lot of well-meaning advice online overstates the position, so it is worth being precise. There is no single statute that requires a self-employed, privately-arranged tutor to hold a DBS certificate before starting work with a child, and no regulator inspects, licenses, or audits individual private tutors the way, say, Ofsted inspects a nursery. Whether one-to-one tutoring meets the legal definition of "regulated activity" under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 depends on frequency and setting, and reasonable people — including safeguarding professionals — disagree on how it applies to a tutor engaged directly and privately by one family for one child, as distinct from a tutor supplied to multiple unconnected families through an agency. In practice, no government body enforces a DBS requirement on the parent side of a private arrangement.
What has genuinely changed, and changed recently, is who can obtain the higher-level checks. Historically, an Enhanced DBS check (the level that actually matters for this kind of role) could usually only be requested by an employer or a registered body acting for one — a self-employed tutor working directly for families had no straightforward route to apply for one in their own name. As of 21 January 2026, that changed: self-employed workers and personal employees — including private tutors working directly with children — can now apply for an Enhanced DBS check, including the barred list check, for themselves through a registered DBS umbrella body, without needing an employing organisation to sponsor the application. This is a genuinely useful development because it removes a practical barrier that previously pushed some conscientious independent tutors towards a weaker Basic check simply because Enhanced wasn't accessible to them. It is an easier route to getting checked, not a new legal obligation to do so.
The honest summary for parents: treat an Enhanced DBS check with a barred list check as a strong, sensible expectation to hold any tutor to — whether hired directly or through an agency — but understand that you are applying your own standard, not enforcing a law. Agencies that build DBS checking into their vetting process before a tutor is ever listed (Leading Tuition included) are choosing to apply a higher bar than the law strictly demands, which is exactly why it is worth asking any agency or independent tutor to confirm, in writing, what checking has actually taken place.
Qualified Teacher Status, or QTS, is frequently treated by parents as a general quality mark for tutors — "are they a qualified teacher?" is one of the most common vetting questions asked. It is worth being precise about what QTS actually is, because the honest answer complicates the assumption.
QTS certifies that someone has completed an approved initial teacher training route in England and met the Teachers' Standards required to teach in a maintained (state-funded, local-authority or trust-governed) school, or a non-maintained special school. It is a legal requirement to teach in those specific settings. It is not a legal requirement to teach in academies, free schools, or independent (private) schools, all of which can and do employ excellent, experienced teachers without it — and it has no bearing whatsoever on private tutoring, which sits entirely outside the schools system QTS was designed to regulate.
This matters for vetting because QTS certifies classroom teaching training, not subject-matter mastery and not one-to-one tutoring skill specifically. The two are genuinely different competencies. A tutor with QTS has been trained to manage a class of 25–30 pupils, deliver a national curriculum scheme of work, and meet whole-class assessment standards. A tutor without QTS but with, for example, a first-class degree in the subject, several years of examining experience, or an established track record of one-to-one tuition may be considerably more effective at diagnosing exactly why one specific child is stuck on one specific topic — which is the actual job a private tutor is being hired to do. Some of the strongest tutors working one-to-one are PhD students, subject specialists, former examiners, or subject experts with deep one-to-one experience who have deliberately never trained as classroom teachers.
None of this means QTS is a negative signal — a QTS-qualified tutor with strong one-to-one experience combines both strengths, and for some contexts (helping a child keep pace with a specific school's curriculum and marking style, for instance) classroom training genuinely helps. The point is narrower: do not use "are they QTS?" as your only or primary quality filter, and do not assume a tutor without QTS is under-qualified. Ask instead about the subject and level they will actually be teaching, their familiarity with your child's exam board, and how much one-to-one experience they have at that level — those questions tell you far more about fit than a yes/no on QTS ever will.
Not sure what to check first? Talk it through with us.
Leading Tuition can walk you through exactly what to ask any tutor — ours or otherwise — before you book. Rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot. Book a free consultation or message us on WhatsApp.
A reference is only useful if you actually contact it and ask something more specific than "were they good?". A testimonial the tutor has already written up and shared with you is not a reference — it is marketing, however genuine. A real reference check means speaking, ideally by phone or video call rather than email, to a parent who has actually paid for sessions with that tutor.
Questions worth asking include: how long did the tutor work with your child, and for which subject and level specifically? Did the tutor turn up reliably and communicate clearly about what was covered and what progress looked like? How did the tutor handle a session that wasn't working, or a topic the student was clearly struggling with — did they adapt, or keep pushing the same approach? Would you rebook this tutor, and if not, why not? And, directly: did the tutor hold a DBS check, and were you ever shown it or told the certificate details?
Be alert to references that are vague on specifics, hard to reach, or turn out to be a friend or family member of the tutor rather than a genuine paying client — any of those is a reasonable prompt to ask for a second reference. If the tutor came through an agency, ask the agency directly what vetting was completed before the tutor was ever listed or matched with a family, and ask for that confirmation in writing rather than a verbal assurance — a written response is something you can actually hold the agency to later if something goes wrong.
Most private tutoring arrangements in the UK start with a conversation and a first session, not a signed contract — and that informality is exactly where avoidable disputes and safeguarding gaps creep in. A short written agreement, even just a clear confirmation email both sides can point back to, protects the family and the tutor equally. At minimum, it should set out:
Session details: the length of each session, the format (online or in person, and where in person), and the agreed frequency (weekly, fortnightly, exam-block intensive, and so on).
Payment terms: the fee per session or per hour, how and when invoices are issued, the payment deadline, whether payment is expected in advance or after the session, and what happens if payment is late.
Cancellation and rescheduling policy: how much notice either side must give to cancel or move a session without charge, and whether a missed session with insufficient notice is charged in full, partially refunded, or made up at a later date. This single clause prevents the majority of tutor-family disputes that arise over the course of a term.
Safeguarding and confidentiality policy: particularly important for any arrangement involving a minor — how the tutor structures sessions (for example, a parent nearby or reachable during in-person sessions, or a policy on cameras-on for online sessions), how any welfare concern would be raised, and how any personal information shared during sessions is kept confidential.
Data protection basics: how contact details, session notes, and any recordings from an online tutoring platform are stored, for how long, and who has access to them — a brief, honest answer to this is enough; it does not need to be a formal GDPR policy document for a one-to-one arrangement, but it should exist and be stated.
If a tutor or agency cannot produce anything in writing covering these points when you ask — even a short confirmation email rather than a formal contract — treat that reluctance itself as useful information, not as a minor formality to overlook.
Most vetting problems show up as a pattern of small avoidances rather than one obvious warning sign. Worth treating seriously: a tutor who deflects or delays indefinitely when asked for DBS certificate details, rather than showing evidence they have applied if genuinely mid-process; a tutor who cannot or will not provide a single contactable reference from an actual paying client; resistance to putting basic terms — price, cancellation notice, session length — in writing, insisting instead on a purely verbal arrangement; discomfort with a parent being present or nearby for younger children's early sessions, particularly for in-person tutoring; and pressure to move communication or payment off any platform or method that leaves a record, especially early in the relationship, before trust has been established either way.
None of these signs alone is proof of a problem — a DBS certificate genuinely can take several weeks to process, and some excellent tutors are simply disorganised about paperwork rather than evasive. The distinction is between a tutor who is transparent about where they are in the process and one who avoids the question altogether or treats it as an unreasonable thing to ask.
We require an Enhanced DBS check with a barred list check for every tutor before they are matched with a family, alongside photo ID verification and a reference check completed by our team directly rather than left for parents to chase up on their own. We separately verify subject knowledge and exam board familiarity for the level each tutor is teaching, because we think a DBS certificate and a teaching qualification answer two different questions — neither one on its own tells a parent whether a specific tutor is a good fit for a specific child. This is a standard we apply as company policy because we believe it is the right one, not because it is a legal requirement placed on us — and we think families are entitled to know that distinction rather than have it implied. You can read more about our approach on the about us page, or see more on how tutors are selected on our tutors page. For a broader, practical guide to choosing a tutor beyond vetting alone — where to look, what to ask, and price benchmarks — see our companion guide, How to Find a Good Private Tutor.
No. There is no single law that forces a self-employed private tutor to hold a DBS certificate before working with a child, and no government body inspects or licenses individual tutors. Whether one-to-one tutoring counts as “regulated activity” under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 is genuinely debated, and in practice enforcement falls to whoever is hiring the tutor — a parent, a school, or an agency — rather than to the state. What has changed is access: since 21 January 2026, self-employed workers and personal employees, including private tutors working directly with children, can apply for an Enhanced DBS check (including the barred list check) for themselves through a registered umbrella body, rather than needing an employer to request it on their behalf. That makes it easier for a genuinely careful tutor to get checked — it does not make it compulsory. Reputable agencies, including Leading Tuition, require an Enhanced DBS check as a matter of company policy, not because the law obliges a parent to ask for one.
A Basic DBS check shows only unspent convictions and conditional cautions — it is the level anyone can apply for themselves and tells you very little for a child-facing role. A Standard check adds spent convictions and cautions, giving a fuller criminal record history, but it is only available for roles legally defined as exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, and one-to-one private tutoring generally does not qualify for this route on its own. An Enhanced check includes everything in a Standard check plus any additional information held by local police forces that is reasonably considered relevant to the role — for example, information that did not lead to a conviction but raises a genuine safeguarding concern. An Enhanced check with a barred list check goes one step further and confirms whether the applicant is on the list of people barred from working with children altogether. For one-to-one tutoring of a minor, an Enhanced DBS check with a barred list check is the level worth asking for — a Basic check is not a meaningful safeguard for this kind of role.
Not necessarily, and this is one of the most misunderstood points in tutor vetting. Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) certifies that someone has completed an approved initial teacher training route and met the Teachers’ Standards required to work in a maintained (state-funded) school or a non-maintained special school in England — it is a classroom-teaching qualification, not a subject-mastery or tutoring-skill qualification. Academies, free schools, independent schools and private tutoring all legally operate without it. Some of the strongest tutors we work with are subject specialists, PhD researchers, examiners, or specialists with years of one-to-one experience who have never taken QTS — the skills that make someone excellent at one-to-one tutoring (diagnosing a specific gap, adapting explanations, building rapport with one child) are not the same skills QTS certifies. A tutor without QTS is not automatically a lesser tutor, and a tutor with QTS is not automatically a strong one-to-one tutor — ask about relevant experience and exam board familiarity instead of treating QTS as a proxy for quality.
Contact at least one previous client directly rather than relying only on a testimonial the tutor has selected, and ask specific, checkable questions rather than “were they good?”. Useful questions include: how long did the tutor work with your child and for which subject or level; did the tutor communicate clearly about progress and turn up reliably; how did the tutor handle a session that wasn’t working or a topic the student was struggling with; would you rebook the tutor, and why or why not; and, if relevant, did the tutor hold a DBS check and were you shown or told about it. A reference who is vague, unreachable, or clearly a personal friend rather than a genuine client is a signal to ask for a second one. For agency-sourced tutors, ask the agency directly what vetting was completed before the tutor was listed, and ask them to confirm it in writing rather than taking a verbal assurance.
A sensible tutoring agreement should set out, in writing, the practical and safeguarding basics rather than relying on a verbal understanding. At minimum it should cover: session details — the length, format (online or in person) and frequency of lessons; payment terms — the fee, how and when invoices are issued, the payment deadline, and what happens if payment is late; a cancellation and rescheduling policy — how much notice either side must give, and whether a missed session is refunded, rescheduled, or charged in full; a safeguarding and confidentiality policy — particularly important for any arrangement involving a minor, covering how concerns are reported and how sessions are structured; and a data protection statement covering how contact details, session notes and any online platform recordings are stored and who can access them. If a tutor or agency cannot produce anything in writing covering these points, that is itself worth treating as a red flag.
Yes, treat it as one. A tutor who is confident about their own vetting will usually be willing to show a DBS certificate (or confirm the certificate number and issue date so you can satisfy yourself it is genuine and current) and provide at least one contactable reference. Genuine reasons for a short delay exist — an Enhanced DBS certificate can take several weeks to process, particularly around school holiday periods when volume is high — so a tutor who is mid-application and can show evidence of having applied is different from one who deflects the question indefinitely or claims it “isn’t necessary” for private arrangements. Persistent avoidance, an unwillingness to put session terms in writing, or reluctance to have any session take place somewhere a parent can be present or nearby (particularly for younger children) are all reasonable grounds to look elsewhere.
Every Leading Tuition tutor holds an Enhanced DBS check, verified before they are matched with a family, alongside identity verification and a reference check completed by our team rather than left to parents to chase independently. We also verify relevant subject knowledge and exam board familiarity for the level being taught, because a DBS certificate confirms someone has no disqualifying record — it does not confirm they can teach. This is a policy we apply because we think it is the right standard, not because it is legally imposed on us, and we are open about that distinction with the families we work with. You can read more about how we select tutors on our tutors page or about us.
Leading Tuition matches your child with a specialist tutor who has been properly vetted — Enhanced DBS checked, reference checked, and subject-verified. Rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot.
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