Charity's shock at scale of ex-teacher's child abuse
The NSPCC says it "beggars belief" a teacher was able to abuse children in three different schools for more than a decade.
including two counts of gross indecency at the former St Michael's College in Tenbury Wells, which closed as a boy's boarding school in 1985.
He was also accused of sex offences against boys under 16 at Kesgrave Hall in Suffolk and Beam College in Devon both also boarding schools that no longer exist in the form that they did at the time of the offences, which took place between 1975 and 1989.
An NSPCC spokesman welcomed the sentence handed out to McKno at Ipswich Crown Court.
He said: "It beggars belief that he had the audacity to commit these crimes at three different schools around the country.
"The full force of the law should be used on sex offenders like McKno - however long after the abuse has happened.
"John McKno pursued a devious campaign to abuse vulnerable children with zero concern for the profoundly damaging impact it would have on them.
"As a teacher he was supposed to be in a position of trust but he cared little for the devastating and long lasting consequences of his horrifying actions.
"We must all be alert to signs of a child's distress and responsible enough to act on our concerns without hesitation."
McKno was first arrested in 2014 by detectives from Suffolk Police's Operation Garford, set-up specifically to investigating allegations of abuse at the former Kesgrave Hall. The investigation saw more than 100 former pupils and 100 former members of staff from Kesgrave contacted, with officers travelling all over the country to speak with victims and witnesses. Enquiries were also followed up in Europe, the USA and Australia.
Detectives interviewed five suspects in connection with sexual assault allegations, resulting in three arrests, including McKno.
The investigation was then widened to include other schools McKno had worked at including St Michael's College.
St Michael's was run as a boy's school until 1985 but was closed and sold to Cloister's College, and then sold to the King's group in 1992.
It is now an international school known as King's College Saint Michaels.
Current headteacher Stuart Higgins said: "Our school is therefore in no way linked with the original boys' school, other than by occupying the same premises and having a similar name."
Any child can seek help and support by contacting the NSPCC's ChildLine, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year on 0800 1111 or by visiting www.childline.org.uk
