Local authorities and schools are still failing in their duties to protect children from paedophiles, according to education watchdog Ofsted.

Councils and schools are accused of not keeping up-to-date and reliable records of checks carried out on staff. Chair of the Local Government Association children and young people board, Cllr Les Lawrence, said: ‘Ensuring that children are safe in school is an absolute priority. ‘It is, however, important that local authorities are able to prove that these checks have been done, and if there are gaps, then they need to be addressed.'