The 7,000 criminals who tried to become teachers

Tuesday 24 February 2009

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By Graeme Paton, Education Editor  

ALMOST 7,000 convicted criminals, including paedophiles, killers and kidnappers, applied to become teachers last year, it was disclosed yesterday.

Brothel-keepers, child beaters and even drug dealers tried to get classroom jobs.

The convictions were uncovered in a Freedom of Information request to the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), which is a Home Office quango that collects information on people who apply for jobs working with children or vulnerable adults.

A spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) said the figures showed the system worked and was "effective in blocking those who should not be working with children''. The list for 2008 showed that out of the 248,220 disclosures from those applying for teaching posts, 6,750 had criminal convictions.

A spokesman for the DCSF said: "It's important to remember that these figures are for people who applied for a job in teaching and do not refer to those who were appointed.

"Since 2007, tough new regulations provide that all those convicted or cautioned of sex offences against children are automatically barred from working with them.''

However, a tiny number of offenders were believed to have slipped through the net.

The system for identifying offenders was tightened up when it emerged in 2006 that ministers backed the appointment of a PE teacher even though he had a police caution for accessing child pornography.

All adults banned from the classroom are placed on so-called List 99.

A review of sex offences that went back as far as 1940, which was set up after those damaging disclosures three years ago, had so far identified a further 50 paedophiles who were wrongly left off the barred list.

List 99 is now being scrapped and responsibility for vetting and barring those who wished to work or volunteer with children was being taken on by a new body, the Independent Safeguarding Authority, which will use data collected by the CRB.

An estimated 11.3 million adults will have their backgrounds checked after registering with the child protection organisation.

The offences

·         four people with convictions for manslaughter

·         three for kidnapping

·         two for making indecent photographs or mocked up photographs of children

·         three applicants guilty of sex with under-age children and four of sexual activity with a person under 18 when in a position of trust

·         indecent assault on a male under 16

·         nine indecent assaults on a female of 16 or over

·         two convictions for brothel-keeping

·         numerous drugs offences

·         32 stalking convictions