Duchess of Cambridge's old school Marlborough College failed to do full safeguarding checks

The Duchess of Cambridge’s old school did not always carry out necessary safeguarding checks on teachers, a watchdog has found.

An Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) report on Marlborough College in Wiltshire found that recruitment checks on staff were not always completed before they started work.

This includes checking new teachers against barred lists for prior criminal offences, or against lists of those banned from working in schools, as well as making sure they had satisfactory references before they started work.

“When criminal record checks have been delayed the school has not always ensured that an appropriate system of supervision is in place,” the ISI said.

It added that processes for safe recruitment were not “sufficiently robust” to protect pupils, and the school had “significant difficulty evidencing the required checks”.

“Whilst many checks were ultimately found to be in place, the processes involved were not sufficiently robust to ensure the welfare of pupils, particularly boarders,” it said.

The ISI said the school “should take immediate action to remedy deficiencies” and standards relating to leadership and management had not been met.

“The proprietor does not ensure that the leadership and management demonstrate good skills and knowledge and fulfil their responsibilities effectively, so that the other standards are consistently met and they actively promote the well-being of the pupils, including boarders. In particular, the oversight of robust recruitment processes,” it said.

The inspection was carried out in November 2021 and the school has said changes have since been made.

A spokesperson for Marlborough College said: “Since our compliance inspection, the college has upgraded the record-keeping processes highlighted in the ISI report.

“We have been keeping our parents informed and are looking forward to an early re-inspection.”

Kate attended Marlborough College during the 1990s.