MINISTERS are expected to be stripped of their power to decide whether sex offenders should be allowed to teach in Britain's classrooms.
A review ordered by Education Secretary Ruth Kelly will report later this week and is likely to recommend that decisions should be taken by independent experts, not Government ministers.
The news comes as it emerged that a North-East teacher at the centre of the growing scandal had been teaching in Dorset up to this weekend.
William Gibson, who was convicted of indecently assaulting a teenage girl while working as a physics teacher in Sunderland in 1980, was suspended from his job at Portchester School, in Bournemouth, on Saturday, when details of his previous convictions came to light.
The agency that supplied the 59-year-old to the post admitted last night it had been aware of his criminal past, but did not consider him to be a threat to children.
Shadow Education Secretary David Willetts said confidence in Ms Kelly was ebbing away because of her failure to provide answers about the number of sex offenders cleared by ministers to work in schools.
He said: "The case of Mr Gibson casts more doubt on the ability of the Department for Education to safeguard our children at school.
"The confidence of parents across the country in the current system is disappearing fast."
Sir David Hart, who recently retired as head of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: "The General Teaching Council should be responsible for all offences when it comes to teachers. I don't think ministers should be involved."
Liberal Democrat education spokesman Edward Davey said: "Removing ministers from these decisions is a small first step but by itself will not solve the problem or restore parents' confidence.
"The information and checking systems for child protection are clearly not working - and tackling that is the urgent objective."
Mr Gibson, who also has convictions for fraud, was convicted of indecent assault after an affair with a 15-year-old pupil came to light when he sent a bouquet of roses to her home.
Despite his past, he went on to secure classroom work through a supply agency, teaching briefly at two schools on South Tyneside and one in County Durham.
Over the weekend, it emerged that Ms Kelly had sent a letter to Mr Gibson 12 months ago, clearing him to return to teaching.
The letter, signed by an official in the department, stated that Ms Kelly was aware of Mr Gibson's convictions but had decided "not to bar or restrict your employment".
It added: "The Secretary of State has given weight to the fact that you accept that your actions were unwise and your behaviour was unacceptable; you understand the related consequences of your actions; and you have undertaken teaching work in recent years to good effect."
Last year, Mr Gibson moved to Dorset and in the summer approached the London-based supply agency for work.
Managing director James Newman admitted he had seen evidence of his criminal convictions, but said: "After all the procedures and taking everything into account, we did not view him as a threat."
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