The only Bhuddist school in Britain is facing a cash crisis.

Dharma School, in Ladies Mile Road, Brighton, has been forced to launch a fund-raising drive to buy new equipment after finding itself "desperately short" of cash.

Parents of the 70 children at the school have organised an autumn fair on Saturday, November 18, from noon.

Headteacher Kevin Fossey said: "We are not closing down or anything like that. It is just we run very tight to the bone. We don't receive state funding and although we charge £3,000 a year that is well under the normal rate.

"The teachers here work for half the normal salary and there is no pension. We try to keep classes small, so teachers can enjoy a better relationship with pupils and present a different ethos."

The school needs the cash to improve its sports and library facilities.

Pupils, who are aged between three and 11, learn meditation and chanting instead of singing hymns during assembly.

The school's motto is: "We are educating the whole child for the whole world."