Final outcome?:

From: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/19012006/325/kelly-bans-sex-offenders-schools.html

Kelly bans sex offenders from schools Thursday January 19, 05:48 PM

LONDON (Reuters) - Education Secretary Ruth Kelly said on Thursday she would ban anyone from working with children who was either convicted or cautioned for a sexual offence against a child.

Kelly told the House of Commons that ministers would no longer have discretionary powers to allow former sexual offenders to teach and that an independent panel would be responsible for a single list of banned

individuals.
Kelly has been under intense pressure to revamp the vetting of teachers following revelations that her department had allowed a number of sex offenders to work in schools.

"I have decided the most effective approach is to bar from working with children all those who are now convicted or cautioned for any sexual offence against a child, whether the individual is on the Sex Offenders Register or not," Kelly told the House of Commons.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Tony Blair said he thought Kelly's statement was "excellent".

She said a review had found ten cases since 1997 where ministers had decided not to put registered sex offenders on the Department of Education's so-called List 99 of those barred from teaching.

Subsequent checks had revealed that none were working in a school or regarded by police as posing any risk.

Officials had found a further 46 individuals not put on List 99 since 1997 who had committed offences before introduction of the sexual offenders register.

Some 32 of these were not working with children. One was working in education but police had decided the individual was not a cause of concern. In the remaining 13 cases preliminary checks also suggested there was no cause for concern.

"I deeply regret the worry and concern that has been caused to parents over the last few days. I'm determined to do all I can to ease their concerns," Kelly said.

"It is time to overhaul the system. We need a system where child protection comes first above all other considerations."

Kelly said she would make it mandatory for schools to check all new staff against details held at the Criminal Records Bureau.

A panel of independent experts will be appointed to oversee the vetting of teachers and ministers would lose the power to make discretionary decisions about allowing individuals to teach.

Kelly also announced that legislation next month would combine List 99 and a separate list maintained under the Protection of Children Act into a single register of those barred from working with children.

SCHOOL REFORMS

Blair has given his full support to Kelly. But her job had already come under scrutiny over her failure to persuade Labour MPs to back the government's school reforms.

"Parents can be reassured that we have tightened the system consistently since 1997," he said.

"We have equally now tightened the system further."

Chris Keates, general secretary of NASUWT, the largest union representing teachers and head teachers, welcomed the statement as a "measured approach to this highly complex issue".

"There was a real danger that the recent public furore could have resulted in the Government succumbing to pressure to turn back the clock on the real progress made to secure a more balanced approach to these issues," he said.

Conservative education spokesman David Willetts welcomed the new controls over sex offenders, but said the affair had exposed an absence of "strong leadership" at Kelly's department and suggested she would struggle to regain parents' confidence.

The political storm began when it was revealed that a former education minister had ruled that a man who had been cautioned by police for viewing Internet child pornography posed no risk, allowing him to get a teaching job.

End Quote.

You would "think" that schools would check~out incoming teachers , criminal records , even driving records for that matter.

When our oldest started school, the principal would go to his car and drink booze. Scary isn't it , to think of WHO is supposedly caring for our
children He was an old fella (drunk), retired the year our big boy started Kindergarten thank goodness.

Let's hope that you Brits keep your department of ed on their toes. Children ARE thee future.

I'd write more but the subject of child abuse is sickening.

Anyhoo, thanks for the update Sid.

Bobby aka Oma who's thankful daily for homescholaring.