A deputy head has turned his back on teaching after more than two decades to take up a new career as a magician.

Andrew Jeffrey has put down his board marker and picked up his magic wand as he prepares for a completely new way of life.

The former maths teacher and school inspector is going on tour with motivational and educational magic shows for schools and adult audiences.

He has even developed a special show called The Magic Of Maths which has caught the eye of cable channel Teachers' TV.

Mr Jeffrey, the president of the Sussex Magic Circle, said it was a wrench to leave his job as deputy head at independent Windlesham House School in Dyke Road, Brighton, but he was excited about the new challenge.

He said: "I've been using magic in my lessons to great effect for years but now I'll have a chance to make it my main priority."

The magician, from Saltdean, explained how he used simple tricks like making three pieces of string transform from short, medium and long to having the same length as a motivational lesson to show children they were all equal.

Another of his favourite tricks includes folding a five pound note into smaller and smaller sizes and using it to help children learn fractions and arithmetic, then magically transforming it into a £20 note.

Mr Jeffrey, who also worked at St Aubyn's in Rottingdean, and Tavistock and Summerhill School in Haywards Heath, said: "Magic has the most fantastic capacity to catch people's attention and make them interested in something they might not have been otherwise.

"It has been a lifelong interest for me and I'm excited that I can combine it with teaching to try to achieve something really good."

For more information about Mr Jeffrey visit his website www.andrewjeffrey.co.uk.