Everything a school or ECD centre must have on file

Two documents decide whether an inspection goes well: the registration certificate and the staff screening file. Everything else — audited statements, governing body minutes, health and fire clearance, food handling — supports those two.

Reviewed by TefCo Compliance Research — last verified 7 September 2026.

In short

Staff screening runs against two separate registers, not one.
ECD registration evidence includes municipal health and fire clearance.
Public schools must be able to produce audited statements for the last financial year.

Registration and governance

Registration certificate: independent school registration by the Head of Department (Schools Act 84 of 1996, section 46), or partial care registration under the Children's Act 38 of 2005, section 79.
Any conditions attached to the registration, and evidence of compliance with them.
Governing body constitution, election records, minutes and term-of-office records.
Approved budget and audited annual financial statements (Schools Act 84 of 1996, section 43).
School policies: admissions, language, code of conduct, safety.

Staff screening — two registers, not one

Before a person may work with or have access to children at a facility such as a partial care facility, their name must be checked against Part B of the National Child Protection Register under the Children's Act 38 of 2005, section 126. Separately, the National Register for Sex Offenders is administered by SAPS under the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 32 of 2007, and employers of people working with children must check it too.

These are two different registers with two different checks. Keeping only one clearance on file is the single most common finding.

Part B National Child Protection Register clearance for every staff member and volunteer.
National Register for Sex Offenders clearance.
SAPS police clearance certificates.
SACE registration for educators.
Employment contracts and job descriptions.

Premises, health and safety

Municipal health certificate for the premises.
Fire clearance certificate.
Land-use or zoning approval where required.
Food handling and kitchen hygiene records where meals are served.
Emergency evacuation plan, incident register and first aid records.
Adult-to-child supervision ratio records for ECD programmes.
Insurance for the premises and learners.

Frequently asked

How long do we keep learner records?

Keep them for as long as the provincial education department's records retention instruction requires, and no longer than necessary for the purpose under the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013, section 14. Learner information is personal information of a child and attracts extra protection.

Do volunteers need clearances?

Anyone who works with or has access to children at the facility falls under the section 126 check. Volunteers and contractors on site during school hours are included.

Does an ECD centre need a food handling certificate?

Where meals are prepared on site, the municipal health authority will require a certificate of acceptability for the food premises as part of its health inspection.

Sources

TefCo Corporate Compliance (Pty) Ltd is a compliance management platform, not a legal, tax or advisory firm. This guide is general information, not advice. Fees, dates and thresholds change — confirm current figures with the regulator before you rely on them.