Kelly has days to quell row 'or face sack'

RUTH Kelly, the Education Secretary, has been given notice that she has only days to control the spiralling controversy over sex offenders working in schools, or face losing her Cabinet post.

The minister faces being stripped of her powers to clear people to teach, and could face worse sanctions.

Despite Downing Street's very public support for her last week, patience with Ms Kelly is wearing thin after a fresh round of revelations yesterday.

Ms Kelly has admitted that her department's decision to clear Paul Reeve - who accepted a caution for accessing child porn - to work as a teacher was not an isolated case.

Yesterday, it emerged that William Gibson, once convicted of indecently assaulting a child, had been given a written endorsement to work as a teacher by Ms Kelly's office.

Gibson had worked in several schools on Tyneside in recent years. Until Saturday, he had been working at a boys' school in Bournemouth.

Ms Kelly's aides say there could be eight more examples of people teaching despite past convictions or cautions for sex offences.

She has promised to report to parliament about those cases as early as this week, and to review the rules that give the final say in such cases to ministers.

In Scotland, similar authority rests with the General Teaching Council. No10 is understood to have decided that England should now follow similar rules.

The schools scandal has taken on a significance beyond the educational system and could have implications for the Prime Minister's wider agenda.

Regardless of the doubts about her judgment, Ms Kelly occupies a vital role in Tony Blair's plans for his last years in office.

Next month, she is due to start piloting Mr Blair's English schools reform programme, a key plank of what he hopes will be his legacy of transformed public services.

To remove Ms Kelly now could seriously jeopardise the Education Bill, which already faces a major Labour rebellion.

Nevertheless, that could indeed become an option if Ms Kelly is unable to quell the doubts, and quickly.

Ian Gibson, the Labour MP whose Norwich North constituency includes the school where Reeve taught, said Ms Kelly had only days to save herself. "I think by the middle of the week, she had better have some good answers," he said.

And waiting in the wings is David Cameron, the Tory leader, who has been careful not to call for Ms Kelly's resignation, yet.

Yesterday, he said Ms Kelly's review of the situation was inadequate, calling for an independent inquiry.