MORE than 100 teachers and assistants in Gwent must stay at home on the first day of the new school term because checks for criminal records are incomplete.

The arrest of school caretaker Ian Huntley in connection with the murders of Cambridgeshire schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, sparked massive efforts to vet the backlog of 25,000 unchecked school staff across England and Wales.

The Criminal Records Bureau, a Home Office agency set up in April, has processed thousands of teaching staff since the tragedy.

But many are still yet to be checked and the backgrounds of all support staff, from classroom assistants to cleaners, must be checked to ensure they are suitable to be in contact with children.

The National Assembly issued a guidance document yesterday stating no teacher can work unless the checks were complete.

Newport City Council will not allow 70 unchecked teachers to start work on Monday, and Blaenau Gwent will instruct 33 teachers to stay at home.

In Torfaen, 16 unchecked teachers have come from other local education authorities and were previously cleared for work.

The council will allow these to work and nine others who have never been checked can work with supervised access to pupils.

Monmouthshire County Council had 57 unchecked teachers on Thursday but was confident of reducing this number, while Caerphilly had 12 teachers on its unchecked list.

Childrens Commissioner Peter Clarke expressed concern last night that the increase in unsupervised children at schools due to teacher shortages could lead to some being harmed through accidents.

Steve Spokes, County Secretary of the teachers union the NASUWT, said: It is no wonder that teaching figures are falling and you are getting people not wanting to join the teaching profession when there is this kind of suspicion over teachers.

Assembly education minister Jane Davidson said: The CRB is giving immediate attention to clearing as many checks as possible by next week.

If it is a choice between a reduced timetable or letting unchecked teachers into the system then a reduced timetable should operate. We cannot compromise on childrens safety.

She added: We hope all the checks are made by next Wednesday when most children go back to school and there will be minimal disruption.