TODAY the past and future of child protection share a spotlight. We report the Appeal Court's decision to cut the prison sentence of Conrad Sandercock.

He was jailed in September after admitting indecently assaulting children when he was working at St Olave's School in York and giving private music lessons at his home.

Considering the seriousness of Sandercock's offences, many would consider the reduction of his sentence to two years to be another example of the Appeal Court's serial leniency. One of his victims is more forgiving.

Unhappily, this is not an isolated case. There have been many actions against schoolteachers and others who abused their young charges 30 or more years ago. This was an age when such crimes were only whispered about: when Sandercock's victims told their parents, they didn't go to the police but confronted him directly and took their children out of his reach. He could have gone on to abuse more pupils. Others like him did.

Today we are more able to protect children from those that prey on their vulnerability. But the system is far from watertight.

Parents everywhere have been shocked to learn that an unknown number of people cautioned by police for downloading child pornography are now teaching in schools. Government ministers gave them clearance to do so.

While our local councils have heartening confidence in their vetting procedures, the national picture is less than reassuring.

There is no room for "benefit of the doubt" when it comes to keeping youngsters safe. Those on the sex offenders' register should be banned automatically from working with children for life.

Updated: 11:11 Friday, January 13, 2006