A BRADFORD school features in a prestigious publication that has become essential reading for Government policymakers.

Bowling Park Primary School, in New Cross Street, West Bowling, appears in the 2016/17 ‘review’ - now a key release in the political calendar.

The aim of the review is to showcase best practice across a number of different sectors, including finance, environment and education.

The work of Bowling Park Primary is highlighted alongside a small number of other schools in a section dedicated to primary education in the North-East and Yorkshire.

And last week principal Stuart Herrington attended a special event to celebrate the school’s achievements at the Houses of Parliament.

Writing in the review, Mr Herrington says the school - which is in the top 10 per cent most deprived areas of the country - is “successful and happy” with progress figures above the national average for the past three years.

The school hosts a diverse mix of Pakistani, Gipsy Roma, Eastern European and British children, with 557 pupils who speak English as an additional language.

He said: “The community around the school has a high rate of mobility and, as a result, for the past eight years we have seen up to 80 new pupils each year in addition to our normal Nursery and Reception intake.

“The majority of these children arrive with little or no experience of English, and often little experience of school.

“We have faced many challenges, but have approached them all with a consistent vision and good humour.

“It is this mix that has helped us to develop, and has led to a successful and happy school filled with children and staff who genuinely love to be here.”

In the review, Mr Herrington describes the school’s journey as a long one.

The school began life as two separate schools, both of which were struggling because of low attendance, achievement and staff morale, he says.

The former Usher Street Primary had been in special measures for nearly six years and was eventually closed until it re-opened in 2008, alongside the original Bowling Park School, with Mr Herrington as the new principal of both sites.

Since then, he says the school has worked “tirelessly” to make improvements - including a revitalisation of teachers.

“As a result, children at Bowling Park are now positive and ready to learn, and staff are equally enthused,” he said.

He pinpoints one of the challenges as creating a “joint ethos” for the two schools and says in the review: “Every child is given the same opportunities despite being geographically so far apart.”

Mr Herrington says it’s an ethos which was achieved through the school’s ‘Going the Extra Mile’ motto (GEM).

To this end, the school hosts two GEM days per year, where pupils learn about the different routes to careers.

“Encouraging children to strive for the best underpins our curriculum,” Mr Herrington wrote.

Last year, the school, due to join a multi-academy trust, was chosen to become a centre of good practice.

Mr Herrington said: “We are immensely proud of the growth we have seen at Bowling Park. However, we know there is still room for improvement.”