Bradford's teacher shortage is so acute a head teacher has been forced to turn to Australia to fill a post.

Kirsty Inglis has been flown over specially from Brisbane to teach youngsters at Bradford Moor Community Primary School.

Head teacher Geraldine Knapton had tried unsuccessfully to find a local supply teacher - but had to turn to an agency to recruit from Australia.

She is still desperate to fill another post at the school.

And Mrs Knapton fears she will be the first of many across the district forced to turn to overseas labour.

The move comes as at least two secondary schools in the district are sending pupils home because of a desperate staff shortage.

Ironically, Bradford Council is currently struggling to find millions of pounds to pay more than 150 teachers left without permanent posts following the schools' reorganisation, which will see the demise of middle schools.

Because the so-called 'supernumary' teachers are placed in schools for this year they cannot be used to cover for short term illness, and do not necessarily match schools' long term needs.

Mrs Knapton said about turning to the agency: "I had a vacancy for two terms that I was desperate to fill and I was very lucky to be able to do so quickly.

"You feel your options are all closed down. Many other primary and secondary school heads are in this position and struggling as well."

Her comments were backed by Bradford National Union of Teachers secretary Ian Murch who said at least two secondary schools in the district are sending children home because of staff shortages .

Miss Inglis, 29, who has come from Brisbane to teach at Bradford Moor until the end of the summer term, said: "The job is similar to Australia in a way. The curriculum is similar, it is just called different things. From what I have seen I have been quite impressed. There are a lot of computers here."

Geoff Brown, a director of the TimePlan teaching agency that brought Ms Inglis to the country, said the school was paying the normal daily supply rate with his agency taking a percentage.

He claimed education chiefs in Bradford have ignored his offer to help more schools their staffing problems.

"We would be more than happy to help Bradford because there is a big and ever increasing recruitment problem there," he said. "We are travelling the world recruiting quality teachers from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa.

"I have written on numerous occasions to Bradford's local education authority asking what we can do to help but nobody has responded. I am amazed - if children are being sent home then it does seem ridiculous."

He said he was already working in partnership with authorities Sheffield and Doncaster and would soon be bringing more than 24 Australian teachers to work in Manchester schools.

Demand was outstripping supply for both short and long term vacancies in Bradford, he said.

A spokesperson for rival agency Teaching Personnel said she was also having problems satisfying the demand for supply teachers in Bradford in both sectors. "The teachers just aren't there," she said.

Mr Murch said: "There are still two secondary schools sending children home from time to time because of a shortage of teachers. In some ways this is a seasonal thing but I have not known it ever resulting in children being sent home before."

Last week the T&A reported that year nine pupils at Buttershaw High School were sent home for part of the afternoon because of staff illness and a shortage of supply teachers.

Rhodesway School head teacher John Fowler said things had not got to that stage at his school. But he was finding it harder to find supply teachers and the number of people applying for permanent vacancies was dropping.

Asked if he favoured the authority working with agencies to bring in staff from abroad he said: "At the moment heads would be prepared to explore any avenues that get good quality people in front of our classes."

Hanson School head teacher Tony Thorne said he was finding the same problems as Mr Fowler.

Bradford Council's assistant education director Dennis Williams said: "We are talking with schools to address the supply teacher shortage where there is a problem. We are working through a number of strategies with schools and will keep the matter under review. We have a significant pool of supply teachers on our books and we believe that this together with private agencies, usually meets the needs of schools in the district."