It is just over a year since Ryecroft Primary School in Holme Wood came out of special measures.

The school was deemed to be failing by education watchdog Ofsted in December 2001.

But when head teacher Eric Sykes was appointed in September 2002 he said the school was already on the way up.

By December 2003 the school had pulled itself out of the category with "sheer determination and grit" and celebrated with a huge party.

The school has now been listed by Ofsted chief inspector of schools David Bell as one which has improved significantly and pulled itself out of the category.

Mr Bell said: "I congratulate the head teacher, staff, governors and pupils of all these schools for their contribution towards the significant progress that led to the removal of special measures.

"Thanks to strong leadership, dedicated staff and a positive commitment to tackling weaknesses head on, pupils can look forward to a bright future."

Mr Sykes said everyone at the school was delighted their hard work had been recognised nationally.

"The hard bit is keeping the good work up once that label has been removed," he said.

"We worked towards getting everybody on board, including parents, in turning the school around.

"We set up a stricter monitoring system of our standards and we did get really good support from Education Bradford."

St Francis Catholic Primary School, in Bolton, was the first school in the Leeds Catholic diocese to be placed in special measures because of poor leadership and unsatisfactory teaching.

The school was given a clean bill of health in February last year and has now been listed as an improving school by Mr Bell.

Head teacher Peter Gibbons said it was a credit to his staff's professionalism. "When the school went into special measures it was very painful but it was necessary," he said.

"When I joined the school in January 2003 a lot of good work was already being done to resolve the situation."

Mr Gibbons, like Mr Sykes, said team work and a shared approach was the key to success. "Throughout the time we were in special measures we had termly visits from inspectors and each visit resulted in a report which we made sure we responded to and made the necessary changes."

He said they assigned members of staff to each problem area, new staff teams were set up and self-evaluation and regular monitoring of standards were also high on the agenda.

Bob Quartermain, head teacher at Wilsden Primary School, was delighted his school had been ranked among 393 outstanding schools and colleges in the UK after receiving a top Ofsted report last year.

"It also encourages us to aspire to even higher standards," he said.

Inspectors found the school 'was extremely effective in providing high quality education'.

Mr Quartermain thanked governors and parents for their support, which he said was a major factor in the school's success.

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, in Bingley, was also included as an outstanding school after achieving a glowing Ofsted report last year.

Head teacher Mary McAndrew said she was thrilled to receive the accolade.

"Inspectors picked up the strong relationship between staff, parents, governors and pupils and the Catholic ethos of the school," she said.

"It's great news for us and for the whole of Bradford to have our school highlighted in this way."

Heckmondwike Grammar School has also been listed as an outstanding school.

The school has been listed for the second time - an accolade which nationally just six other schools have achieved in the past 13 years.

Head teacher Mark Tweedle said: "It is testimony to the hard work and professionalism of my colleagues and the commitment of the pupils that the school has been able to maintain such consistently high standards throughout the last decade."

Councillor Dale Smith, the Council's executive member for education, said: "This is another example of the hard work in our schools being recognised

at a national level and, on behalf of the Council, I would like to pass on our congratulations to the schools concerned."

Education Bradford managing director Mark Pattison also congratulated the schools and said: "These results show we are heading in the right direction."