Jilly Cooper's steamy novels may not be on the National Curriculum but pupils could be poring over the pages of her next bestseller.

The author, best known for writing impassioned sex scenes, is turning to three Brighton schools for inspiration for her latest book.

It tells the love affair between a dashing headmaster and a beautiful, brave headmistress battling to save a struggling school from closure.

Sound familiar?

Two of the headteachers she is consulting have close ties with private, high-performing Brighton College and closure-threatened East Brighton College of Media Arts (Comart).

But Jilly insists she will only be using the schools for background research, with any heroes and heroines entirely her own creations.

She said: "I feel colossally privileged the schools have invited me to come.

"This is fiction and I am just coming for inspiration, not to dig up any lurid tales.

"All bad behaviour will be made up by me!"

Jilly, who lives in Gloucestershire, was visiting Brighton College today to talk to staff and pupils about the school's partnership with Falmer High School and Comart.

She has already spoken to former Comart head Dr Jill Clough and will also be speaking to former Falmer head Antony Edkins and Brighton College headmaster Dr Anthony Seldon.

She said: "One of the themes of the book is partnership between state schools and public schools.

"It's about a pretty wild but glamourous independent school with a very glamourous headmaster and a pretty wild comprehensive in special measures with a very pretty and brave headmistress who takes over.

"The comprehensive is threatened with closure by dark forces and they get together to save the school - and fall in love."

Comart is threatened with closure but has been working with Brighton College.

Falmer was once in special measures but is improving after being helped by partnership work.

Jilly said: "I read about the Brighton College and Comart partnership in The Times but I had to come to Brighton to speak and there were two children there from the college and a very nice deputy headmaster.

"He said I could come down to the school and meet everyone.

"It will be very interesting just to see it.

"It's regarded as such a social divide in our nation - independent schools and state schools.

"I think partnership is a very good idea and I am very curious."

Jilly, who hopes to finish the novel next year, admitted she was finding it harder to write her famous sex scenes as she got older.

She said: "I am now ancient at 66 and as you get older you get less sex and all that experience seems far away.

"I have to try to create scenes with 13-year-olds for the book, mainly kissing, so I will have to use a lot of imagination to write that."

Jilly published her first work of romantic fiction, called Emily, in 1975 and is most famous for her 1985 novel Riders.

Her latest project is her first foray into education since she wrote a factual book called Class in 1979.

She said: "I have been researching it for about two years and as it's set in school I am having a nightmare with all the characters.

"I am having to wrestle with all the different characters, how many masters there should be and how many pupils."

Jilly said she was delighted to be in Brighton because her parents lived in Chichester Terrace for many years.

She said: "They didn't go there until I was married but I used to come down to visit.

"I don't think the novel will be set in Brighton but the characters may have a lovely school trip out there."