Head teachers are being told to tot up the cost of delays in getting criminal records checks on staff, and send a bill to the Home Office.

I don't see why school budgets should have to suffer

Union leader David Hart

Many schools found themselves without enough fully-vetted staff at the start of term because of the backlog of checks at the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB).

Emergency action involved having to call in temporary supply staff while new teachers were kept out of classrooms - in effect, paying twice for the same work.

Eventually the Education Secretary, Estelle Morris, eased her rule that all staff had to be vetted before they could start work with children.

'Fiasco'

The National Association of Head Teachers has written to its members advising them to count the cost.

The general secretary, David Hart, said: "Head teachers will be expecting the Home Office to pay compensation as a result of the costs they have incurred due to the Criminal Records Bureau fiasco.

"I don't see why school budgets should have to suffer as a result of incompetence by a government department and their private contractor."

The CRB, operated by private consultancy Capita, is an agency of the Home Office.

Pressure

In his advice to members, Mr Mart says:

"The NAHT does not intend to 'let the government off the hook'," having written to the home secretary on 2 September saying schools were incurring costs as a result of the failure by the bureau to process checks and fulfil its role competently.

So he says they should present a claim for compensation to the Home Office and - to add to the pressure for something to be done - copy it to him.

"The claim should provide specific details of any additional costs that have been incurred as a result of being unable to deploy newly appointed staff during the early part of the autumn term," he writes.

Stony response

"The most obvious substantial claim would be supply cover costs but there may be other items of expenditure which you would want to take into account in presenting a claim to HM Government."

But a Home Office spokesperson said it was not envisaged that compensation would be paid.

The CRB's published service standards did not amount to a contractual commitment.

In addition, many delays occurred because application forms were not filled in correctly, and the CRB was not going to "cut corners" by letting them through, he said.