A FORMER teacher at an all-girls private school has pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual activity with a child under 16.

Andrew Colville, who taught at the Royal Masonic School for Girls in Rickmansworth, was given a six month sentence suspended for 18 months at Harrow Crown Court last Thursday.

The 45-year-old committed the offence in Rickmansworth.

He will spend seven years on the sex offenders’ register.

Headteacher Diana Rose said in a statement: “The actions of Andrew Colville represent a terrible betrayal of trust by a former member of staff.

“Although he left the school 11 years ago, his actions go against everything we stand for as an organisation and we are devastated this could have taken place.”

He is the second teacher at the school to be embroiled in a sex scandal – in 2014, games teacher Emily Fox had an affair with a pupil.

The 26-year-old was jailed for 15 months and put on the sex offenders register for 10 years.