A Basic check—sometimes still called a Basic CRB check—shows unspent convictions and conditional cautions under the applicable disclosure rules. It does not show the broader spent-record information available at Standard or Enhanced level, relevant local police information, or barred-list results.
The old CRB label does not make a Basic certificate more extensive. For a tutor, its value is that an individual can request it directly and present a recent dated disclosure, but it should be described honestly as Basic.
Check the next step for tutors
Scope before interpretation
Basic disclosure is intentionally accessible and limited. It can still be useful evidence, but presenting it as an Enhanced child-workforce check misstates both the records scope and any barred-list coverage.
A tutoring example
A self-employed tutor orders a Basic DBS check and advertises it as a “full CRB”. A family might assume children’s barred-list information was checked when it was not. Stating “Basic DBS, issued on [date]” avoids that misunderstanding.
Check the weakest part of the evidence
Find the weakest unsupported point before approving the next step. The four candidates on this page are whether you can read the word Basic on the certificate, check the applicant’s identity and issue date, do not infer a barred-list search, and decide whether Basic is sufficient for the arrangement and policy in question. Mark each as evidenced, unresolved or not applicable; do not mark it complete merely because another item is strong.
For What Does a Basic CRB Check Show, the review should explicitly answer Will a spent conviction appear on a Basic certificate? The answer supplied by the guidance is: Basic disclosure is limited to unspent convictions and conditional cautions under the applicable rules. If your records imply something wider, narrow the wording until it matches the actual evidence.
Questions specific to this disclosure
Will a spent conviction appear on a Basic certificate?
Basic disclosure is limited to unspent convictions and conditional cautions under the applicable rules.
Can police add local information to Basic?
No. That additional local police disclosure is an Enhanced feature.
Is Basic useless for private tutoring?
No. It can provide lawful, broadly accessible information, but its limits should be understood.
Where the weakest-evidence review for What Does a Basic CRB Check Show identifies a missing current check, the tutor application page is the next step. Other gaps should be fixed through their own official route.