Sex pest teacher worked in our town

Nigel Jackson, 48, was reported to the Department for Education and Science (DfES) after leaving a deputy headteacher's post in East Sussex following allegations that he "groomed" a 14-year-old girl over the internet.

But he was later allowed to work at other schools, including Littlehamp-ton and Durrington High School, because checks by the teaching agency supplying him revealed no problems.

Jackson, who this week admitted grooming another 14-year-old girl in Londonderry over the internet, indecently assaulting her and two offences of inciting her to commit an act of gross indecency, worked for just four days at the Littlehampton school.

But head, Jayne Wilson, said it was "four days too many", adding that her confidence in systems set up to vet teachers had been "shaken" by recent high-profile cases in the media.

Mr Gibb, now the Conservatives' shadow schools minister, said his prime concern was that Jackson had not been added to List 99, a DfES register banning or restricting people from working with children, in spite of East Sussex education authority alerting the department that he could be a risk to children.

He plans to ask a written parliamentary question.

"I don't know what the reasons were for him not being on the list, whether there was not enough proof, or it was an administrative error. I am concerned that people are not going on the list, that exemptions are being found for them.

"The next problem is that West Sussex and East Sussex education authorities were both told about this man and didn't manage to tie the information together. The fact that he went on to teach at Littlehampton and Durrington is very worrying."

Mr Gibb said he had been very involved, as shadow schools minister, in raising concerns over checks on people working with children in the wake of the high-profile cases, but it took on a new dimension when it was on his own doorstep.

"When it is one of your local schools, and you know the teachers who teach, some of the pupils and parents, it is rather alarming. But thank God he was there only for four days."

The MP added that the most important thing, rather than calling for Education Secretary Ruth Kelly's resignation, was that ministers and DfES officials made sure that the system worked properly and that ministers were getting the right quality of advice when taking decisions over whether teachers should be included on List 99.

Mrs Wilson briefed staff at the school yesterday (Wednesday) morning after Jackson's case was reported on national television news. She was also writing a letter to parents to explain the situation to them.

She admitted her confidence in the system of checking teachers had been shaken by the recent revelations at national level.

"I don't want to get in a situation where we employ someone, after sending out all the paperwork and having checks made by the authorities, and then they say we didn't tell you because it wasn't appropriate."

Mrs Wilson added that Jackson, who worked four separate days at the school in June 2004, had been employed by the agency Teaching Personnel, which would have carried out all the checks. She had a "tremendous amount of trust" in the agency and there had been no problems with Jackson during his time at the school.

A spokeswoman for West Sussex County Council said information on Jackson had been received from East Sussex in July, 2004, but West Sussex had not been "obliged" to pass this on to teaching agencies, who were expected to carry out their own checks.

The agency concerned had made those checks, and contacted the last two schools where he had worked, and everything had been in order.

The information about Jackson from East Sussex had been made known to West Sussex's human resources department, which was involved in teacher appointments, but the spokeswoman could not confirm if it had been passed onto schools.