If a CRB does not arrive, we put a Teaching Assistant or Cover Supervisor in with the teacher until it does.  Expensive, but less expensive than recruiting again.

Thanks for all the replies

I have been traking my CRB for the last three months and it has been with one police authority until th 26th August when they sent it back (all clear ) to the CRB.

However the CRB didn't send a request off to the other police authorities, I have now discovered that it has been wth them for THREE days now.

The bottom line is the same, you can track your CRB you can contact the police authority after 60 days but you CANNOT force any one to do anything.

All you can do is wait.

There is no system set up to deal with those of us who through no fault of their own have to go with out pay while this checks have not been finished, and although there is a nominal 60 day maximum day wait this is in fact in no way shape or form a maximim the checks take as long as they take.

 My union havn't been back in touch yet.

The responsibility for employing you rests with the Headteacher. It would seem to be there is nothing to stop him/her giving you a letter to confirm your employment, subject to CRB. This might help.

Secondly, you could start work, as a previous poster has said, with a member of suppport staff in the class with you, until the CRB arrives. I would have thought your school would be chasing this vigorously as it is a real pain not having a member of staff available at teh start of the school year.

If your HT has the balls for it, they could just let you start anyway and keep their fingers crossed there is nothing on your CRB.

I'm teaching lessons in a new school today. My CRB form (completed by me in June) was not sent off by the school until yesterday...(I do not have a CS in class with me)