Teachers from the United States could be hired to help solve a growing staffing crisis in Sussex schools.

Sally Greenwell, West Sussex County Council Cabinet member for education, announced a scheme during a council meeting yesterday.

She said a specialist recruitment agency would be used to try to hire maths and science teachers.

The campaign will be concentrated in New York and New England.

But she said a West Sussex headteacher and an education adviser were also likely to fly to the US next month to take part in the campaign.

Coun Greenwell said: "At the start of this term we had a number of secondary schools carrying two to three vacancies.

"A full survey of vacancies from September will be undertaken after May 31."

The teacher shortage recently led to hundreds of pupils at Bognor Regis Community College being put on a four-day week.

But Coun Greenwell said enough supply teachers had now been found to revert back to full-time education there.

Other measures announced included hiring an accommodation officer to work specifically on developing low-cost housing schemes for teachers.

The high cost of living in the South-East has been blamed as a major factor in the teacher shortage.

Coun Greenwell said the council was also organising "drop-in sessions" for prospective teachers.