Pupils claim they were ‘punished’ for reporting inappropriate behaviour of as…

Parents have also alleged children who confronted Gareth Mellor were taught in seclusion as punishment.

Mellor, 43, was caught by National Crime Agency investigators after making a Bitcoin payment for indecent images of children via an encrypted cloud storage service.

He was arrested in May 2021 at his home address and officers downloaded the contents of his two cloud storage accounts, which revealed more than 11,500 indecent images and videos of children. He pleaded guilty to three offences relating to the making of indecent images of children and is due to be sentenced at Leeds Crown Court next month.

Ex-students at Kettlethorpe High School, in Wakefield, said during his time as safeguarding lead, it was “an open secret” he would inspect girls’ skirts and tug at them if they were too short for the uniform policy.

After Mellor, who now lives in Uttoxeter, pleaded guilty, several former pupils or their parents posted on social media. One woman posted: “He was always messing with our skirts at school.” And a number of people posted that girls who called him out as a “paedo” or “nonce” were placed in isolation.

Headteacher Tudor Griffiths said: “We have reviewed our records, going back over the last 10 years, and there have been no safeguarding complaints raised concerning Gareth Mellor.”

Vicky Schofield, Wakefield Coun­­cil’s corporate director for children and young people, said: “We urge anyone who feels a safeguarding complaint was not dealt with appropriately to get in touch.”