Vetting and barring scheme to affect 2m fewer people

The government has accepted all the recommendations of Sir Roger Singleton, who was reviewing the scheme, including that fewer people should have to be vetted before working with children and young people. The scheme, which will now affect those with weekly rather than monthly contact with children, will now cover nine million instead of 11 million people.

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show at the weekend, Balls said: "What we've done is we've reduced the test down from monthly contact to weekly contact, and I think that's the right thing to do. We've also said that a foreign exchange trip or an author going from school to school won't be affected."

He said parents had never been covered by the scheme: "A head teacher who is saying that you should not come into school without a check, that you shouldn't help with a school play - that is a ludicrous overreaction in exactly the same way, if you ask me, a head teacher who says you can't play conkers in the playground. There's no rule which says that. Heads have got to use their judgement."

Singleton's report, Drawing the Line, also recommended that: people such as authors who go into different schools or similar settings to work with different groups of children will not be required to register; older pupils participating in work experience and community placement schemes should not have to be registered; and parents hosting pupils on exchange visits lasting less than 28 days will not have to register, as long as the overseas parents accept the responsibility for the selection of the host family.

Singleton said: "I believe that once adjustments to the rules have been made, this scheme will provide a good balance between ensuring the need to protect children without being an unnecessary burden."