PUPILS danced with joy at a Saltaire school today at news it has been made a World Heritage UNESCO Associated School and can now link up with others around the globe.

Saltaire Primary's Bollywood dance group performed at a special celebration assembly, billed to tie in with World Heritage Weekend.

And all the children were surprised and delighted when it was announced Saltaire Primary had become one of only 80 UK schools with the special UNESCO status.

"We are all so proud, it's a really prestigious award," said head teacher Sally Stoker.

"The school applied on the basis of our work on sustainability over a year ago and it was a huge application form which had to go before a big committee at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

"It now means we're all committed to promoting UNESCO's ideals and reinforcing humanistic, cultural and international dimensions of education."

The school will now be put on a global database and be able to officially link up with teachers and students with the same status.

"Our particular focus is on sustainability and so for example, we could speak to a school next to the Taj Mahal about traffic and infrastructure issues.

"There will be so many great opportunities and the children will all make wonderful ambassadors," Mrs Stoker said.

Bradford Council's World Heritage Site officer Helen Thornton broke the news to the children.

"It was really fantastic and they should be so proud of themselves," she said.

"We only got the letter from Paris the day before and there are only 80 UNESCO associated schools in the whole country.

"This is a very eco-friendly school and sustainability is an area where they've done lots of work.

"And that has got them access to international partners and resources who they can now correspond with."

Saltaire Primary created its own green-energy resource by successfully installing batteries of solar panels on its roof to provide its own renewable power.

Mrs Stoker said its Bollywood dance group was an example of how children were keen to learn about different cultures.

"It meets every Wednesday after school and has about 20 members from across all the years.

"With the help of Shrikant Subramaniam from the Kala Sangam arts centre, they have choreographed their own work which features World Heritage Sites such as the Taj Mahal, Stonehenge and of course, Saltaire," she said.

Mr Subramaniam, said pupils were keen and enthusiastic.

"They are always smiling, receptive and perceptive to what I teach them," she said.

"There is not a great cultural diversity at Saltaire, and so that means a lot of what I am showing them is totally new.

"And they really enjoy it because it's so different - especially learning to dance like the Stonehenge stones."