JUGGLING is a skill every teacher needs and maths teacher Richard Thompson is no exception.

But there's a big difference between Richard and his classroom colleagues . . . he juggles with fire.

Richard, 36, divides his time between teaching at Falmer School, Brighton, and working as a circus

performer.

From fire-eating and stilt-walking, to acrobatics and walking on broken glass, Richard has performed circus tricks all over the country.

Now he is setting up a special school to pass on his craft to young people across the region.

But walking a tightrope between two different lives is nothing new for Richard.

As an economics student at Cardiff University, he baffled the boffins by setting up a circus school

for fellow students, learning how

to juggle before graduating to more dangerous fire tricks.

Richard's childhood dream was to be a bank manager but a love of numbers wasn't enough to keep him wedded to the world of high finance. Three years ago he left a job at American Express to focus on circus performing.

He said: "I set fire to my suit, shaved my hair into a Mohican and had my ears pierced three times - and the work came flooding in."

Richard, who shaved off his dramatic hairstyle when he went into teaching,

said his two jobs are

a world apart.

His pupils know about his double life but he warns them about the dangers of playing with fire.

He said: "It's a very stupid thing to do really. I've only hurt myself once when the wind changed direction and a fireball blew back in my face. I lost my eyebrows and all I could smell for a week was burnt hair. But I was OK. Unless you're careful, you could have a nasty accident."

Despite the perils of fire-eating, unicycling is the only circus trick Richard feels uncomfortable performing.

That limitation hasn't held him back. With appearances at the Glastonbury Festival and adverts for movie channel Sky on his circus CV, Richard's summers are packed with performances.

But winter is a slow time for circus work, so he has found the perfect way to plug the gap - by doing sums with his pupils in the day-time and somersaults with his young recruits in the evening.

Youngsters who join his circus school will be competing for places in the professional troupe for next year's Brighton Festival.

Festival education manager Pippa Smith said: "Discovering Richard was a small miracle for us.

"It's really wonderful for the Brighton Festival to have someone to run a

circus school in Brighton who is not only a highly sought-after and talented performer but also a professional teacher.

"It's along the least traditional lines you can think of but that seems fitting for a town like Brighton.

"There's a really strong possibility that the kids who take part could make a living from their circus skills."

Falmer School headteacher Susan Wright is also delighted with Richard's dual role.

She said "He's brilliant with the kids and we're lucky to have him - he's as good a teacher as he is a circus performer."

From November, the circus school will be at the Ray Tindle Centre in Upper Gardner Street, Brighton. To join, call Pippa on 01273 260820.

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