Bradford schools are taking tips from the business community in an effort to drive up levels of achievement.

Officials from some of the region's top companies have struck up partnerships with managers in Bradford schools to pass on ideas about performance.

The Partners in Leadership programme, run by the Bradford Cares scheme, aims to match managers with head and deputy head teachers with a focus on sharing organisational skills. These vary from personnel issues, through to budgets and finances and business planning.

The scheme has attracted a good response from partners and Bradford Cares is keen to get more businesses involved.

Bradford Cares co-ordinator Kathryn Jones said firms benefited from learning about problem-solving methods in schools and got a valuable insight into the education system. She said some of the business leaders had gone on to become school governors.

"It is about giving head teachers somebody different to talk to about issues which are not education-related specifically," she said. "They have often come from a teaching background and find themselves thrown in at the deep end because they haven't had the chance to develop their business skills."

Schools have also benefited from the Bradford Cares Right to Read scheme, with 200 volunteers taking part. It sees workers from Bradford firms spending an hour a week reading in one-to-one sessions with primary school children.

Bob Chambers and his wife Tina, who work for Yorkshire Water, said he was delighted to help out with ten and 11-year-olds at Stock Lane Primary School.

"The weekly sessions that we carry out over lunchtimes, to minimise disruption to the school, are a welcome contrast to the specialised focus of Yorkshire Water's activities, and an opportunity to work face-to-face with young people on the basic but vital objective of better reading," he said.

For more information call Kathryn Jones on (0113) 2058200 or e-mail kathryn.jones@bitc.org.uk