A class of her own

Katharine, 35, who lives in the Poets' Corner district of Hove, already has two children, Kate, five, and Jacob, two, and is expecting triplets on December 30.

She said: "I went and had a scan by myself and the lady who did it had a funny look on her face. I said, Oh no, it's twins' and she replied, There seems to be three'.

"I hadn't planned to be a mother of five but had to come to terms with it pretty quickly. I rang my partner, Simon, and told him to sit down. He was shocked to say the least.

"People at the school couldn't believe it. When I left for the summer holidays they didn't even know I was pregnant.

By the time I came back I wasn't just pregnant but expecting triplets."

Katharine works two days a week at English Martyrs Catholic Primary School in Derwent Drive, Worthing, covering teachers in various subjects.

She plans to have the triplets at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.