SEXUAL offences recorded in schools have trebled two years with a charity claiming youngsters are being warped by hardcore pornography.

From July 2014 to June 2015, 112 sexual offences crimes which took place at educational establishments were reported to Sussex Police, up from 40 two years previously.

The vast majority of the crimes were committed by children on other children, with 15 recorded rapes.

Jon Brown, head of sexual abuse programmes at the NSPCC, said: “These figures are very disturbing, especially as many victims are so young and the reported offences took place on school premises.

“Sadly, we are not surprised as previous NSPCC research has illustrated the scale of abuse committed by young people.

“We know that for some older children, accessing hardcore pornography is warping their view of what is acceptable behaviour. And the very young - those of primary school age or even younger – may be copying sexual activity they have witnessed.”

The total number of sexual crimes in the last three years reported in educational establishments is 214, but only 11 prosecutions have been recorded.

Another stand-out statistic is that there have been more male than female victims over the last year.

Of the 99 crimes recorded in schools, 49 of them were reported as male and 36 as female with the remaining 14 not attributed to gender.

Other crimes listed include sexual grooming, exposure and voyeurism, abuse of trust and exploitation of prostitution.

Detective Chief Inspector Jason Tingley of the force's Public Protection Branch said; "We believe the increase may be, as with sexual offences more generally, a result of a more rigorous police approach to crime recording, together with an increased confidence in young people to report.

“Another contributory factor is the enhanced awareness of young people and staff given their better understanding of what constitutes an assault, in particular types of child sexual exploitation.

“The circumstances will differ in each case and it is important not to draw too many definitive conclusions from statistics alone.

"However it is equally important to continue to encourage schools to provide good quality sex and relationship education for pupils, which is essential in order to help reduce the numbers of victims and to prevent harm.”