A SCHOOL insists protection of students remains its ‘top priority’ after a teacher was banned having posted pictures of children to a website frequented by paedophiles.

Chenderit School in Middleton Cheney, near Banbury, released a statement on Thursday after teacher Steven Birkett admitted sharing photos of children as young as four while he was head of history at the school.

Mr Birkett worked at the North Oxfordshire School from May 2001 to May 2017.

A report by the Teaching Regulation Authority said the 47-year-old posted images of two children after taking them from Facebook.

The images were not sexual.

The report said he posted images between 2007 and 2017 to a Russian file-sharing site he knew to be misused by paedophiles, to folders including one named ‘Little Cuties’.

It also described how Mr Birkett set up an account on the Russian website using an email address using a child’s name.

The authority banned Mr Birkett, who resigned last year, indefinitely.

Police are not taking further action.

Chenderit School headteacher Jane Cartwright issued the statement. It said: “I am now in the position of being able to inform you about a matter that has just been made public and reported by the media.

“In November 2016, the police shared concerns with me relating to safeguarding around the conduct outside of school of Steven Birkett, at that time a teacher at Chenderit.

“I immediately suspended Mr Birkett from work. An internal investigation was launched, however, Mr Birkett resigned from his post before this was concluded.”

It added: “I would like to clarify that no pupil from Chenderit School has had his/her photos uploaded by Mr Birkett.

“To be clear, Mr Birkett’s behaviours referenced in the media reports happened outside of school hours and did not involve our students.

“The welfare and protection of our students is our highest priority and I would like to reassure the school community that this matter was dealt with promptly, and with the support of the police, the local authority designated officer (LADO) and The Teaching Regulation Agency.”

An NSPCC spokeswoman said: “Safeguarding children must always be a top priority for teaching professionals and these actions, undertaken without permission and with no explanation, have rightly resulted in serious consequences.

“The NSPCC wants to see highest privacy settings as standard for under 18s on social media sites which could help prevent strangers from viewing and sharing photos of children.”

The government authority's report previously incorrectly stated the pictures were of pupils, but the report has since been removed from its website and will be altered.