Every parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle wants to know that the children in their family - indeed, that all children - are safe in school. It is clearly a huge disappointment that Education Secretary Ruth Kelly is not able to offer that reassurance.

Her call for an urgent review of the situation so that new laws can be rushed through is an inadequate response to current concerns following the revelation that approximately ten people who are on the sex offenders' register have been cleared to work in schools. It is regrettable, too, that the Government has failed to follow in full the recommendations of Sir Michael Bichard's inquiry into the Soham murders. Sir Michael sensibly suggested that all sex offenders should be put on a single list to simplify checking their backgrounds should they apply for jobs in schools.

There may be some extremely rare circumstances in which a particular type of sex offender at a particular stage of his or her life could be allowed to work in a school without fear of children coming to harm. However, advocates of that course of action would have to work extremely hard to convince a parent that this could be the case.

At the very least anyone who has been convicted in connection with sex offences involving children should never be allowed near a school. The public has every right to know that everything possible is being done to prevent this happening. The Govern-ment clearly is failing to do this, and Ms Kelly will have to do a great deal very quickly to convince us that our children are completely safe when they go to school.