Paedophiles and prostitutes were thwarted in bid for teaching jobs

Criminal records checks uncovered four previous convictions for child sex offences, including one for a sex attack on a girl under 13, as well as three convictions for assaulting or neglecting a child.

The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) said that to date checks had helped stop more than 130,000 unsuitable people from working with children and many of the offences would lead to an automatic ban on the offenders becoming teachers.

New figures, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, show that 263,477 checks carried out for the post of “teacher” in 2011 found 4,098 of these had 9,493 previous offences between them. These included more than 50 sex offences, 11 for arson, and two for making threats to kill.

Some 830 violent offences were highlighted overall, along with more than 550 drugs offences and 11 for causing death by reckless driving. The sex offences included four indecent assaults on children, 13 on adults, eight acts of gross indecency, 12 of indecent exposure and 19 involving prostitution.

Of the 830 violent offences, more than 130 were for assaulting a police officer, 22 were for assaults causing grievous bodily harm, 45 were for wounding and almost 300 were assaults occasioning actual bodily harm.

Some 4,735 of the 287,353 applicants to become teachers in 2010 had a total of 11,327 offences between them, including 71 sex offences, 77 child sex offences, 801 violent offences and 770 drugs offences. Most of the child sex offences involved the possession of child abuse images.

Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said it was “extremely encouraging that the CRB system is picking up these issues so prospective employers are able to ensure they don’t employ people with these convictions”.