A Keighley school is pioneering a scheme aimed at easing the path for pupils making the step up to secondary education.

Students at Greenhead High School are leading the way with an innovative peer education project which could provide a model for other schemes nationally.

They are visiting primary schools and working with young children to discuss any concerns they have about the move to a big school.

Students are also using the sessions to discuss important issues such as race and conflict.

The pilot project is one of the first of its kind in the country, and has been organised in conjunction with Keighley Youth Services, Education Bradford, the Asian Youth Project, Keighley Young Women's Unit and the Ibis Trust.

Since it was launched in September, organisers say the scheme has been a success for both sets of students.

Carole Bywater, development officer for Keighley Youth Services, said: "We have worked with a group of 18 students at Greenhead who have then gone into its feeder primary schools - Eastwood, Guardhouse and Parkwood.

"They have been assessing the needs of Year Five pupils and have been holding workshops with them to see how they can make the transition to Greenhead better.

"We have analysed the needs of students making the move to secondary school, and next month the peer educators are going to perform a play to express things that can be quite difficult to talk about, especially for pupils of primary school age.

"There will be workshops afterwards to get young people to talk about their feelings and what issues the play has brought up.

"Fear of the unknown is a big problem for primary school pupils because they don't know what the school will be like - it's a big change.

"This is also a chance to talk about the positive things that are going on at a school like Greenhead."

Carole has been working closely with Greenhead's performing arts teacher Kate Lockwood, and has also received vital support from learning mentors at Greenhead and its feeder schools.

They have trained a mixture of white and Asian boys and girls to be peer educators.

"We asked them what it was like for them to move to Greenhead and what needs could have been better addressed," added Carole.

"They have responded very positively to the training and they will all receive accreditation for the work they have done."

The project will be assessed by the Ibis Trust this summer and education chiefs will decide whether to broaden it out to other schools in the Bradford district and further afield.

l Keighley's growing reputation as a beacon for the promotion of racial harmony has taken another step forward.

After a multifaith gathering, Abdul Motin - a development officer at the Bangladeshi Community Association - said the work being done in Keighley was now becoming recognised around the globe.

l Drama graduates will be tackling racism by telling stories to children in Keighley and Bradford.

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