THE NUMBER of teachers on standby to help under-achieving Hampshire schools is set to rise as part of plans drawn up by county education chiefs.

Classroom staff are also to be given extra training to enable them to aid colleagues who are forced to physically restrain disruptive pupils.

The measures are to be put in place as part of a package of reform aimed at getting the education authority's house in order.

Its launch has been sparked by the glowing results of a government inspection of how the county council manages Hampshire's schools. To meet the few demands of the government watchdogs, education chiefs are obliged to draw up an action plan, which is currently in its blueprint stage.

Members of the county council's education committee approved their post-Ofsted action plan.

By September, they hope to have extended their network of "mentor" head teachers ready and able to step in and help weaker secondary schools.

Across-the-board training is also to be improved to help boost the confidence of teachers dealing with difficult pupils and to ensure new head teachers are aware of their needs.

A clampdown on pupil absences is on the cards with stiffer guidelines to be brought in by January.

Support to struggling schools will also be stepped up as will help for ethnic minority pupils.

An education department spokesman said: "The inspection report contained relatively few main recommendations.

"The activities set out in the action plan are almost all activities which are already planned or under way within the local education authority."