MORE than a thousand Surrey teachers, staff and volunteers are still awaiting clearance from government agency, The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB).
However, Surrey County Council is advising headteachers that although some full CRB checks have not been completed on all staff, schools should still open as scheduled -a stance is supported by local MP Virginia Bottomley.
"I support the stand taken by Surrey County Council that it would prefer to have children start school as usual, providing any still awaiting clearance are closely supervised until the checks are completed," said Mrs Bottomley.
"To shut our schools and have children roaming the streets would present a much greater threat to their safety. Parents are horrified that such advice should have been issued."
The council is advising all headteachers that full CRB checks should be completed on all new staff who have not been checked in the past or who have had a break in service.
It is not deemed necessary by the council to complete a check of employees taking up appointments if they are already employed by the local education authority and have been checked previously. The same applies if the individual is moving directly from one position to another without any break in service.
Mrs Bottomley believes that if any schools did delay opening on time, it would only add to the area's problems with teacher recruitment.
"In Surrey we already face a massive recruitment struggle with the ever-increasing cost of living.
"Now that we have finally managed to get the schools staffed, we are hit by another example of government incompetence which could have easily been avoided."
Most pupils in Surrey returned to school yesterday (Thursday).