A schoolgirl who claims her hair was cut off by bullies is to be interviewed by police.

Officers are planning to talk to Kara Moore after she told The Argus how she had been left distraught by a prolonged campaign of bullying.

The Argus yesterday told how Kara, 12, said her tormentors had cut off a chunk of her hair in class in the latest incident.

Today, she has taken the brave decision to stand up to her bullies and reveal her face, in the hope that other bullied children will take courage from her actions.

She said: "I thought if my picture was in The Argus people who are getting bullied will realise they are not the only ones."

She said the bullying started shortly after she joined Hailsham Community College in January, when her family moved from Cornwall to Fairisle Close in Hailsham.

She said: "I was new and an outsider. I did things differently.

"They would kick me under the table and spit at me, so I used to walk out of school because I couldn't handle it."

Kara's parents Dave and Karen Coughlan have kept Kara out of college since the alleged assault last Friday and are looking for a new school.

Mr Coughlan, 43, said: "The more people talk about bullying the more likely it is something will be done and the bullies will back off. If people hide from talking about bullies we will never solve the problem. Hopefully Kara is setting a trend by so publicly standing up to her tormentors."

Kara had a hair appointment over the weekend to even out her damaged hair after claiming bullies cut off a four inch wide, six inch long chunk.

College principal Lesley Farmer said the school and its police liaison officer interviewed three students on Friday afternoon and were still investigating the alleged assault. She said Kara had experienced some problems since joining the school but denied bullies persistently targeted her.

She said Kara was enrolled in the college's inclusion team to help her settle in. It includes special needs teachers, student counsellors and other support staff who can give one-to-one support.

A spokeswoman from East Sussex County Council said Kara could be transferred to another school so long as there was a vacancy.

She said the county council offered advice and support to schools about bullying but most cases were dealt with by the school directly.