Tony Halpin, Education Editor of The Times, says the latest revelations about the number of sex offenders in schools could be "very damaging" to Ruth Kelly, the Education Secretary.

Do we know how many more people on the sex offenders' register may have been cleared to work in schools?

No. Ruth Kelly says there have been "a small number of cases" but her officials are refusing to say how many they have identified so far and over what period of time. Crucially, they are also refusing to say whether anyone on the sex offenders' register is currently working in a school.

How can this happen? Aren't sex offenders simply barred from such sensitive jobs?

You would think so, but apparently not. The Secretary of State automatically bans anyone convicted of rape, buggery, incest, indecent assault, gross indecency or taking or distributing indecent photographs.

The regulations provide the Education Secretary with discretionary powers to ban someone for "any other type of misconduct", including sexual offences, violence and theft. A police caution, as in the case of Paul Reeve, the Norfolk teacher who escaped List 99, is regarded as a conviction by the Secretary of State in deciding whether to ban someone.

The mystery here is how ministers and officials at the Department for Education and Skills can come to the conclusion that someone who has been placed on the Sex Offenders' Register remains fit to work with children in schools. Parents, and indeed police, would expect an automatic ban, at least for the period in which the individual is required to be on the register.

How damaging is this for Ruth Kelly? Isn't she already under pressure?

Very damaging. Ms Kelly is already struggling to win support from Labour backbench MPs for the Government's Education White Paper and rumours have been swirling around in recent weeks that Tony Blair might move her in a reshuffle. Many of those in the teaching unions are openly dismissive of her, adding to Ms Kelly's difficulties in winning over critics of the proposed reforms.

Now she is embroiled in a growing scandal about sex offenders in schools, a subject of massive sensitivity in the wake of the Soham tragedy in 2002. So far, information on this subject has had to be dragged out of ministers and officials at the DfES. Confidence in Ms Kelly will seep away unless she starts to provide comprehensive information about the scale of the problem and the action she is taking to deal with it.

Could it end her reign at the DFES?

All the indications from Downing St have been that her job is safe in the impending reshuffle. It is probably too difficult for Mr Blair to move her now without it looking like an admission of failure in relation to the education reforms. But, as Estelle Morris learned to her cost when she was Education Secretary in 2002, once you become embattled it is very difficult to shake off the perception that you are not on top of your brief.

If it wasn't Ms Kelly, which minister approved Mr Reeve's application to work in schools?

That remains unknown. The Secretary of State normally delegates responsibility for teacher misconduct cases to the School Standards Minister. Stephen Twigg held that post just before the DfES sent its decision about Mr Reeve to Norfolk County Council in May. But he has categorically denied having any involvement with the case.

This leaves open two possibilities. Either another minister on a duty roster during the general election campaign approved the decision or, worryingly, an official in the DfES made the decision without any reference to ministers. So far, the DfES steadfastly refuses to say who decided Mr Reeve's case.

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