A team of educational professionals in Bradford is travelling to the Mirpur region of Pakistan today to see if any lessons can be learned to improve attainment in the district and links between the two regions.

The links between Bradford and the Mirpur district are strong and evident in most Bradford schools.

In some schools the majority of the children will have some sort of connection to the area either through parents, grandparents or other family members. And it is this tie that the Mirpur Connection is hoping to build upon.

Javed Bashir, of Education Bradford's Achievement Forum, said: "Some schools have almost 100 per cent of children coming from the Mirpur region. So it is important for teachers to have a good understanding of the origins of this community."

Mr Bashir and his colleague Nadira Mirza, deputy dean of the School of Lifelong Education and Development at the University of Bradford, worked to set up the project.

Both believe that a greater understanding of the Mirpuri heritage can help teachers in Bradford to get more out of children and ultimately improve attainment.

"There's quite a lot of synergy between the two areas," said Nadira.

"Our children are not performing - there's something missing and we think some of that solution lies in Mirpur."

The delegation of 12 is made of representatives of Bradford University, the Children's University, Education Bradford, Keighley College, Nab Wood School and Laisterdyke Business and Enterprise College.

The team will be delivering workshops to education professionals in Mirpur, illustrating teaching techniques and seeing how teaching and education can be improved in both areas.

The Children's University in Bradford will also be holding a series of workshops for children living in more mountainous regions.

Elaine Shoesmith, head teacher of Nab Wood School in Shipley, is part of the delegation and is hoping to learn more about the cultural heritage of the region, as about half of the pupils at Nab Wood School have a link with the Mirpur area.

She said: "I am hoping to see where the families come from and have a better understanding of what their life was like in Pakistan, as well as increase my understanding of Islamic culture."

In order to build links with schools in the area she will be taking postcards to leave with the Mirpur pupils so they can fill them in and send them back to their Bradford counterparts.

"We're planning on leaving a laptop with one of the schools so that we have that professional link with them there," she said.

Because many Bradford children attend schools in Pakistan when they visit for extended holidays or religious reasons, she is hoping the delegation can help to ensure that their time at school is productive.

"Maybe giving the schools help and assistance will mean that their time there will not be wasted time," she said.

Joan Law, head teacher at Laisterdyke Business and Enterprise College, is also looking forward to the trip.

She said: "I believe we need to work closely with students who are less privileged than ours to develop that sense of value which could lead to much higher achievement rates than we have seen so far."

e-mail: sunita.bhatti@bradford.newsquest.co.uk