THE Petersfield School's new headteacher this week welcomed an announcement that teachers in East Hampshire are to get financial help to buy their first homes.

Nigel Poole told The Herald he was well aware of the problems, particularly facing younger teachers who were looking for homes in the rural area of East Hampshire where the cost of housing was high.

"Here at The Petersfield School we had set aside accommodation specifically for teachers who might need a home," he said.

"The accommodation, which belongs to the school, is being kept in reserve as a way of helping any colleague who may need it," said Mr Poole.

But he welcomed news that Hampshire County Council has been given more than £1m for a new scheme to help young teachers.

The cash, which will be spent over three years, has been awarded by the government as part of its Starter Home Initiative.

In East Hampshire, those teachers who qualify will receive support in buying a house through interest-free loans of £10,000.

The extra money is designed to help individuals get their first step on the property ladders in areas where housing would otherwise be too expensive for them to afford.

Mr Poole said The Petersfield School was fully staffed at present.

But he added: "We are engaging in some recruitment within the next few months and I await the response with interest because it is very difficult to recruit staff.

"I think there is no doubt that most heads are finding a reduction in the number of candidates applying and in some cases there could be less of a field to choose from, but I am pleased to say that we have a full complement of very professional staff at present.

"Anything that enables public servants to access affordable housing is welcome," said Mr Poole. "However, the ultimate way of doing this is to reward public sector servants in the way that the private sector are rewarded."

County education officer at Hampshire County Council, Andrew Seber, said: "We are very pleased with this week's announcement, which will help our schools to continue to attract and retain high-quality teachers.

"The provision of affordable housing is something we are taking very seriously in Hampshire and every effort is being made to address the problems being faced by key public sector workers such as teachers."

He said he anticipated that staff in Hampshire would start to benefit later this term.