What we stand for

1. Tutoring should be regulated

The problem

Anyone in England can call themselves a tutor. A self-employed tutor does not have to have a DBS check, and a parent has no legal way to require one. Until January 2026 a self-employed tutor could not even get an enhanced check on themselves.

It is already an offence for someone on the children’s barred list to do regulated activity with children, and for a parent to knowingly hire them to do it. But whether private tutoring counts depends on how often it happens (more than 3 days in any 30-day period), and a parent has no duty, and no easy way, to find out. Lord Hampton tried to close this gap in the Lords in 2025, and the Crime and Policing Act 2026 has nothing on tutors.

The evidence

• Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza, September 2024: “Anybody who is working one-on-one with a child as a tutor, should have a DBS criminal record check. It’s an absolute basic minimum.”
• The NSPCC called in 2016 for checks to be mandatory for self-employed tutors, and still publishes guidance on tutors.
• The Tutors’ Association already requires an enhanced DBS check of its own members.
• Since 21/01/2026, eligible self-employed tutors can get an enhanced check, with the barred list, through a DBS umbrella body. It is a choice. A tutor does not have to do it, or to show the result. See how to get a DBS check as a private tutor.
• On 17/09/2026 the DBS launched “Every Check Helps”, telling parents: “They can get a DBS check. You can ask to see it.”

What we are asking for

1. Barred means you cannot tutor, however you are hired, and parents can check it. This should be written into the law for private tutoring.
2. An enhanced DBS check and basic safeguarding training for anyone paid to tutor children. Family and friends helping out would not be covered.
3. Let private tutors join Ofsted’s voluntary Childcare Register. At the moment online-only tutors, and anyone who looks after a child for under 2 hours a day, cannot (GOV.UK). We have not found anyone else asking for this change. It uses a regulator that already exists, it is a register and not an inspection, and it would give families one place to look.

We have not asked for a legal minimum qualification. Tutors should be honest about their real qualifications, and families should ask.

What we already do

• Every NSEMM tutor has an enhanced DBS check and safeguarding training before they teach.
• Every lesson is recorded, and we spot-check recordings.
• Tutors hold a qualification above the level they teach.
• Our Designated Safeguarding Lead takes every concern, and anyone can report one at any time on our safeguarding page.

We would register with Ofsted today if we were allowed to. Right now, online tutors cannot. These rules would apply to us too, and we would welcome that.

How to check any tutor

This works whoever you hire, including us.

• Ask to see their DBS certificate. It should be an enhanced check for work with children, and you should see the original, not a photo or a copy.
• Check the name and the date. The name should match their photo ID. Certificates do not expire, so look at the issue date.
• Ask if they are on the DBS Update Service. With their permission you can check online whether anything has changed since the certificate was issued.
• Ask what safeguarding training they have had, and who you can speak to if you are worried.
• Ask about real qualifications and experience. A good tutor will answer plainly. Ask for references.
• Ask whether lessons are recorded, and who can see the recordings. Online lessons you can sit in on are better still.
• Stay nearby for the first few lessons and ask your child how it went.
• If a tutor will not show you a check, you can decide not to hire them. It is your choice, and a certificate is one piece of information, not a pass or a fail.
• If you are worried, call the police if you think a child is at risk, or the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000.

Tutors who want a check can read How to get a DBS check as a private tutor.