Teenagers and their teachers in Bradford have their work cut out to meet stiff Government targets for 14-year-olds, education bosses admitted today.

New national targets - set for Key Stage 3 pupils for the first time - were unveiled as part of a £428 million Government drive to raise standards.

It published targets both for schools and for education authorities which are far in excess of current educational achievements in Bradford.

Education and Skills Secretary Estelle Morris announced the "challenging" targets.

Three in four 14-year-olds will be expected to achieve level 5 in English, maths and ICT by 2004, with a slightly lower number - 70 per cent - to reach that level in science. By 2007 these figures are expected to rise to 85 per cent and 80 per cent respectively.

Every Local Education Authority will be expected to achieve at least 65 per cent at level 5 and above in English and maths, and 60 per cent in science, by 2004.

In Bradford the results for 2000 were 54.1 per cent for English; 52.5 per cent for maths and 45.6 per cent for science showing that the authority has a long way to go to meet the new targets.

Tony Thorne, head teacher at Hanson School, said: "These targets strike me as very demanding. Of course schools in Bradford will do their best but there will be constraints of what resources are available. We all want to see the details of how the Government plans to support schools in reaching these targets."

He said the move from a three tier system to a two tier system would make it easier for secondary schools to coach young teenagers towards the SATs exams.

Clive Halliwell, head of the inspection and advisory service at Bradford Council, said: "We are going to do our damnedest to meet these targets. We expect that in five years time all of our pupils will be at the national average level - we have already achieved this for Key Stage 1."

He said underachieving pupils would be put on an accelerated programme for literacy this autumn. The Government has pledged £428 million over the next three years to raise standards.

It will also provide new frameworks for the teaching of English and maths, catch-up support for pupils and a professional development programme for teachers.