An inquiry has found that 50 sex offenders were cleared to work in schools. All have now been barred from working with children. Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, told the Commons there were now 12,992 people on List 99, which holds names of those barred from working with children as they have convictions or a caution for sexual offences. The law was tightened in 2007 after a PE teacher was cleared to work in schools, despite having a police caution for accessing child pornography. The newly barred offenders were identified in an inquiry into 2,560 cases dating back to 1940.