THOUSANDS of Bradford youngsters' love of literature has meant the district has sped ahead of the national average in an annual reading challenge.

Each year the Summer Reading Challenge asks children between four and 12 to read up to six library books over the school summer holidays, with those who complete the challenge awarded a certificate at the end.

In the run up to World Book Day on Thursday, the National Literacy Trust has revealed that 4,000 Bradford children took part last year, up ten per cent from the previous year. The national average saw an increase of two per cent.

And the number of children in the district completing the challenge also rose by 16 per cent compared to the previous year.

The news will prove a huge boost to Bradford's ambitions to become a "beacon" for reading in the north and turn around falling literacy rates.

This week the top performing Bradford schools will get a visit from Yorkshire-born children's author Andrew Newbound, only days before World Book Day on Thursday.

Inner city All Saints' Primary School had the highest participation rate - 52.2 per cent of children at the school took part.

Deputy head teacher Jo Byndloss said: "We value reading at All Saints CE Primary School and last year all 19 classes visited the City Library.

"Heather Lindsay has organised the Summer Reading Challenge in school for a number of years and every year the number of pupils participating increases. We are really proud of all our children who took part and grateful to their parents for taking them to use the library. We consider the City Library to be a vital and necessary resource for the local community."

Keelham Primary School, near Thornton, saw the highest amount of pupils complete the challenge - 18.9 per cent.

The theme for last year's event was Mythical Maze, and other schools that performed well enough to secure visits were Fagley Primary, Shipley CE Primary, and Rainbow Primary and Copthorne Primary in the city centre.

The Trust started the Bradford Literacy Campaign last year to improve children's skill by getting them to read more outside school.

Imran Hafeez, the National Literacy Trust’s Bradford hub manager said: “An important aim of the Bradford Literacy Campaign is to increase reading for enjoyment in the district, so it’s great to see that the Reading Agency’s brilliant Summer Reading Challenge has really been embraced here.

"Bradford’s libraries have been the driving force behind kids getting stuck into these books over the summer holidays and we’re excited to be rewarding schools with these fantastic author visits.”

The campaign is looking to set up a reading "centre of excellence" in one Bradford school by funding a £15,000 new library.

Schools can apply for the makeover, funded by the campaign, Bookspace and the School Library Association, by drawing up plans for a facility that would improve reading in their community.

The aim of the project is to create a library that will act as a blueprint for school libraries across the country.