William Gibson, 59, a maths teacher who has a conviction for indecent assault and served a 2½-year jail sentence for fraud, has been teaching at Portchester school in Bournemouth since the beginning of this term. Gibson was convicted of indecent assault in 1980 after he had a relationship with a 15-year-old girl.
He was jailed in 2000 for fraud, forging documents to obtain drugs, car theft and obtaining property by deception after swindling elderly people out of almost £60,000. He was released from jail in 2002 and taught in three schools in the northeast in 2003 and 2004, but lost his job in each when his past was discovered.
On January 31 last year Kelly’s department issued a letter describing Gibson’s past as “unwise”, but not a bar to teaching.
“The secretary of state has taken into account that in 1980 you resigned from your teaching post,” it says. It notes that Gibson had “undertaken teaching work in recent years to good effect” and concludes that despite having “grave concern” she has decided “not to bar or restrict your employment”.
Gibson was employed by Step Teachers, a recruitment agency based in north London. James Newman, its managing director, said: “We considered he was suitable to teach children. We had a full disclosure on his background and I believe he had a recent letter from the education department, or even the education secretary, saying he was fit to teach.”
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Staff at Portchester school were not aware of his criminal past. John Hallam, the assistant headmaster, said: “There was nothing untoward about him.” Gibson has since been suspended.
Susan Moore, of a teaching agency that twice rejected Gibson, said she was “appalled” he was still teaching. “I am sick to the pit of my stomach,” she said.
The disclosure will heighten pressure on Kelly who already faces criticism for allowing a registered sex offender, Paul Reeve, to continue teaching.
Sources at the Department for Education and Skills confirmed the letter approving Gibson had been written by Kelly’s officials. A spokesman said they were reviewing their “decision-making process”.