A Suffolk school says it took "decisive action" after learning of an investigation into a former staff member who has since been jailed after downloading a million indecent images of children.

Forty-one-year-old former Suffolk primary school headmaster, Thomas Singleton, was jailed for five years for his crimes at Ipswich Crown Court on Thursday.

The court heard that experts who examined electronic devices belonging to Singleton found 20,254 indecent images of children in the most serious level A category, 21,539 level B images and more than one million indecent images of children in the lowest level C category.

They also found 45,216 prohibited images of children and 52 extreme pornographic images as well as 13 category A pseudo indecent images of a child and 24 pseudo images in category B.

A statement on behalf of a school Mr Singleton taught at - which can't be named for legal reasons - said in a statement: “This news has come as a huge shock to the school - staff, pupils, parents, carers and to the wider community.

“Mr Singleton has not been in school since February 2021. As soon as we were contacted by the National Crime Agency, we took decisive action and the appropriate regulatory bodies were informed.

“All safeguarding procedures and policies were strictly followed in line with statutory guidelines and our robust schedule of internal and external quality assurance will continue.

“The police investigation has lasted 18 months and has focused on Mr Singleton’s conduct and behaviour outside school. We can confirm that, during this time, no members of staff or pupils at the school have been involved.

“The school has organised a specialist team to be on site to support parents, carers and staff at this difficult time.”

NCA operations manager Michael Parkinson said: “As a safeguarding lead and the head of a primary school, Singleton supposedly represented a dependable figure of safety and trust for young children, their families and the school community.

“This investigation showed he grossly abused that position.

“His house was filled with a large, disturbing collection of items which proved beyond doubt his sexual interest in children.

“Of particular concern was an extensive paedophile manual which offered explicit, practical guidance on how to carry out abuse.

“This case highlights how an offender’s behaviour can escalate, from downloading abuse material to finding a community of like-minded individuals online who normalise and even encourage this criminal behaviour."

A spokesperson for the NSPCC in the East of England said: “Singleton’s crimes are far from victimless, and by downloading, creating and collecting these images, he is responsible for further fuelling this disturbing trade.”

“It is crucial that the Government presses ahead with a robust Online Safety Bill to disrupt offenders like Singleton and put child safety at the heart of the online world.”

Childline is available on 0800 1111 or at childline.org.uk for any child or young person who has a worry or concern.

For adults who are concerned for a child’s welfare, the NSPCC Helpline is available at help@nspcc.org.uk or on 0808 800 5000.