Obviously, the police need to investigate a lot further to see if this was something Steve had been doing for a long time, and if any other children had been put at risk. I will be speaking to the governors about the best way to handle this discovery. For now, this information must not be shared with our students, under any circumstances. It is vital that we pay strict attention to even the slightest hint of a suggestion that Steve behaved inappropriately towards any of them, girls or boys. I know you are all familiar with the safeguarding policy, that any disclosure is reported immediately to the designated safeguarding lead, but if any of you took any concerns to Steve that you think were not dealt with, please come to me with them now. We’ll need to review all our safeguarding records as well, to ensure no student has slipped through the cracks.

There is no doubt that this will get out to the media at some point, but until it is released by the police I do not expect to read anything about it beyond the walls of this school. If there is a leak from the staff, the person responsible will be suspended with immediate effect. I have made the decision to share this information with all of you in order that we can come together to ensure the safety of our students. The governors and I will contact Ofsted so they are aware of the situation before it becomes public knowledge, in order to try and limit the damage to the school’s reputation.

She finished, and her shoulders dropped. I noticed how tired she looked, despite the well-applied make-up. It must have been difficult, suddenly having the headship thrust upon her in tragic circumstances, and now having to deal with this shocking revelation. I felt for her in that moment, as I saw how strong she was forcing herself to appear on the surface.

Singh waited around for the rest of the lunch hour, in case anyone had anything they needed to tell him immediately, but the staff mainly looked stunned. After reminding Liz Marcek to pass anything she discovered on to the police as soon as possible, Singh and I left.

We walked through the car park in silence towards Singh’s car. We didn’t talk much on the drive back to Scunthorpe, both of us lost in our own thoughts. Had Leon arranged to meet Joe at Normanby Hall and then discovered his online boyfriend was actually his headteacher? Had he killed Steve and then run away to escape the consequences? Or had someone else discovered what Steve had been doing and killed him in order to protect Leon? If that was the case, Leon must have seen something and run away because he was scared. I shook my head. It was so tangled. And that poor kid, finding himself in that situation – whatever had happened, he must be terrified.