Neville Lewis (61) of Cedar Park Drive, Bolsover, pleaded guilty to eight counts of indecent assault committed in the 1980s while he was at the helm of Palterton Primary School.

The now retired headteacher was sentenced for the offences against six pupils at Derby Crown Court on Monday.

Speaking after the case one of his victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she was glad people were now aware of what Lewis had done but didn't think his penalty was enough.

She said: "Ten months doesn't seem like justice. It's impacted my life greatly and the other girls'. He abused his position of trust and has wrecked six lives and also our parents' lives".

Lewis's crimes went unpunished for years but he was arrested in April after his now adult victims reported the assaults to the police.

The court heard how Lewis called girls individually for reading tests in the staff room when no-one else was present. He would stroke, tickle and rub their legs and bottom, and put his hand down their knickers.

Avik Mukherjee, prosecuting, said one of Lewis's victims felt ashamed and couldn't bring herself to tell anyone what he was doing. "She trusted him and clearly that is why he took the opportunity to behave the way he did towards the six girls."

His barrister Sonal Ahya asked the judge to take into consideration Lewis's guilty pleas and acknowledgement of the pain and anguish he had caused.

She added: "He has never felt comfortable in his own skin because of the totally inappropriate behaviour he engaged in."

Lewis will be on the sex offenders register for ten years and was given a lifelong sexual offenders prevention order, which bans him from schools and other places designed for under-18s.

Judge David Price said: "You were a headmaster in a primary school, the children in that school didn't challenge your authority and parents accepted you as the sort of headmaster who would look after their children as well as they did."