School's failure over pervert teacher

A teacher was able to film himself abusing young girls in his classroom because the school's bosses failed to act on his increasingly sexual behaviour, a serious case review has revealed.

Nigel Leat, 51 was described by a judge as a "paedophile of the most sickening order" when he was jailed indefinitely last year after abusing five girls – some as young as six years old.

Leat, of Bloomfield Road, Bristol, admitted 36 offences, including attempted rape of a child and sexual assault on children.

Senior managers at Hillside First School in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, had repeatedly been told of Leat's inappropriate behaviour by fellow teachers but failed to act. The school's own management report notes at least 30 incidents of Leats "inappropriate or unprofessional conduct" – but only 11 were recorded formally within the school.