An education boss has today said Bradford is 'turning a corner' after two more schools celebrate coming out of special categories.

Carlton Bolling College and Bradford Cathedral Community College have both come out of special measures.

Mark Pattison, managing director of Education Bradford, the company running the district's schools, said it was a major boost for the city.

More schools are expected to come out of special categories next year.

A total of 12 schools have come out of the categories this year. The all-time high was 30 at any one time during the Education Bradford contract. Nigel Jepson, head teacher at Carlton Bolling College, in Undercliffe, said he was delighted the school was removed from the category after two years.

"This is a tremendous boost for us all," he said. "Staff and students alike demonstrate on a consistent day-to-day basis that the quality of teaching and learning at Carlton Bolling is now first rate."

He said first preference choice from pupils in feeder primary schools was up 50 per cent this year compared to last year.

The school went into special measures in September 2002 when it was criticised by Ofsted inspectors for the lack of permanent staff and the high number of supply teachers.

Mr Jepson, who started at the school in January, said many of the problems were before his time but said they now had a full staff. He said student attainment was also improving with 51 per cent of 14-year-olds gaining the target level four or above in key stage three maths last year, compared to 34 per cent the previous year.

David Brett, head at Bradford Cathedral Community College, in East Bowling, Bradford, said the news reflected the hard work of everyone connected with the school.

The school was placed in special measures in February, 2002 after Oftsed inspectors said there was poor pupil behaviour, a high number of teaching vacancies and the school had the lowest GCSE results with just five per cent of students gaining five A to C grades.

More than half of the teaching was unsatisfactory, aspects of management were weak and attendance was poor. Now the school, which is bidding to be the Bradford Academy in 2007, has a stable staff, teaching has improved 'dramatically' with a significant proportion of lessons judged as good or 'very good'.

A strong teaching monitoring system has also been introduced.

The number of students gaining at least five A to Cs at GCSE also rose to 26 per cent this year.

Mr Brett said: "We are delighted that HMI have recognised the improvements at college and that we are no longer in special measures."

In 2003 to 2004, 63 per cent of schools inspected had good and very good reports, up from 41 per cent in 2003 to 2004.