DOZENS of Bradford headteachers from under performing schools will be given leadership “masterclasses” as part of an £11 million push to improve education standards.

Yesterday details of the “opportunity area” funding that will come to Bradford from the Department for Education were announced, including a number of different schemes to improve the life chances of the district’s young people.

They include tripling the resources provided by the National Citizen Service in Bradford.

One branch of the funding will be “strengthening school leadership and the quality of teaching.” This will allowing at least 50 heads, senior and middle leaders to take leadership courses and leadership masterclasses.

It is hoped that the plans will improve the Ofsted ratings of at least half of the district’s schools that are currently rated ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’.

Literacy in primary schools is also a target of the funding, with work planned for the 10 local primary schools furthest below the national average for reading and writing. It will later be expanded to secondary and post-16 literacy schemes.

The money will also help “broaden aspirations” of young people, with efforts made to target 11-18 year olds to provide “at least four high quality encounters with the world of work.”

The National Citizen Service will triple the resources it makes available to Bradford’s young people, with the aim of supporting 2,400 15-17 year olds by 2020.

Another aspect will be “removing barriers to learning.” Research from the Born In Bradford Project and the Bradford Research School will be used to support teachers in 50 schools to help to students at risk of “social, emotional or mental health issues.” The priorities of this scheme will include early identification of autism and related disorders, as well as improving reading and writing.

Anne-Marie Canning, who grew up in Carcroft, Doncaster, and is Director of Social Mobility and Student Success at Kings College London, has been appointed Chair of Bradford Opportunity Area Partnership Board.

She said: “Education transformed my life so I want the Opportunity Area to give Bradford’s children the high quality education they deserve.

“We have set out an ambitious plan, matched by the strength of our partnership. The Opportunity Area board brings together the best head teachers, world-leading researchers, local, regional and national government as well as business and community organisations from across the city and beyond. We are committed to making this plan a success.”