Schools across Wales are getting back to normal following a decision by the government to allow teachers without security clearance back into the classroom.

Individual head teachers have been given discretion as to whether teachers at their schools can start work.

At Ysgol Gyfun Rhydfelen in Pontypridd, south Wales, 167 pupils have been able to return to school on Thursday following the decision.

The decision to allow heads to use their own judgment is a very sensible one

Bryan James, head teacher

An estimated 500 checks on classroom staff in Wales were not completed by the government's own deadline of 4 September.

At Rhydfelen, four out of seven new teachers had not been cleared by the Criminal Records Bureau, which has a backlog of checks still to complete.

Rhydfelen head teacher Bryan James said: "I made my own decision given the freedom to use my own judgment and I feel absolutely confident that the four teachers pose no threat.

"The decision to allow heads to use their own judgment is a very sensible one.

It is a decision that should have been made right at the beginning of term."

Disruption unacceptable

UK Education Secretary Estelle Morris announced her decision on Wednesday evening after failing to gain assurances that the disruption would not continue for some time.

"My whole concern is for the well-being of pupils," said the minister.

Estelle Morris: Frustrated with checks procedure

"I could not allow the disruption to our schools to continue."

Assembly Education Minister Jane Davidson said she endorsed Ms Morris' decision.

" It was clear that the arrangements for clearing the backlog of checks was going to take longer than we had hoped," she said.

"My office has been in touch with Estelle Morris's office and I have agreed that further arrangements were needed to ease the situation in our schools."

Earlier, the Welsh Assembly stressed it was only new teachers and those returning from a career break who needed checking - those previously cleared by another education authority can go straight into the classroom.

Full checks

The checks are meant to be a "one-stop-shop" to process criminal records and checks against government blacklists of people not suitable to work with children.

They must be carried out before teachers and support staff can work with children.

The checks on teachers have been brought in by the UK Government and come in the wake of the deaths of Cambridgeshire school children Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.

Karl Davies, director of the National Association of Head teachers in Wales, said the CRB procedure delays were not acceptable.

In the meantime, he said schools affected in Wales would have to be creative with their teaching rotas to deal with the situation.