Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme
All applicants for GTC Scotland registration are required to be a member of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme.
If you are barred from regulated work with children under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2020 (or similar legislation), your registration application will be refused automatically.
You have no right of appeal where you are refused registration by GTC Scotland in these circumstances.
What is the PVG scheme?
The PVG membership scheme is managed and delivered by Disclosure Scotland.
It helps make sure people whose behaviour makes them unsuitable to work with children and/or protected adults, can’t do ‘regulated work’ (including teaching/lecturing) with these vulnerable groups.
GTC Scotland registration will not be possible if PVG Scheme membership is refused by Disclosure Scotland.
When do I apply?
Student teachers
Student teachers in Scotland will apply to join the PVG scheme through their Higher Education Institution before taking part in school placements as part of their teaching qualification.
Everyone else
If registration with GTC Scotland is awarded, Disclosure Scotland will email you an application link for the PVG scheme around 10 business days after you receive your decision email.
What happens when I apply?
Once you have completed and submitted this form, they will carry out criminal record checks and the results will be shared with you.
Disclosure Scotland then require that you agree to share the results of your criminal record checks with GTC Scotland within 10 days of receiving the results. This is very important as you must share your results with us to allow your registration application to proceed. You cannot be placed on the Register and teach in Scotland without doing this.
If your results are not received by us within 56 days of your registration decision, your application will be closed and you will be required to re-apply for registration.
These checks include any non-conviction data held by police that may be relevant to working as a teacher or lecturer.
The PVG scheme membership application must be completed within 14 days. If not, it will become void and you will need to contact us to start another application.
What are Disclosure Scotland’s required identification documents?
New PVG scheme applicants
The cost of joining the PVG Scheme for the first time is £59.
Existing PVG scheme members
If you are already a PVG scheme member, with membership for regulated work with children, you will be required to complete a Level 2 (PVG) Disclosure application at a reduced cost.
Checks will be made to cover the period when you joined the scheme up to the present date. There is an £18 fee for this payable by you to Disclosure Scotland.
Do you have the correct PVG scheme membership type?
If your PVG scheme membership is for regulated work with protected adults only, it is a requirement to apply to add the other group (children) to your record; this applies to both teachers and lecturers. This will incur a cost of £59, which is payable by you to Disclosure Scotland.