According to Government statistics, primary schools in Bradford are not performing well.

Standards in primary schools were ranked the second worst in the country in league tables released before Christmas and the problems with primary education in the district has been highlighted with the T&A's Second Class? series of articles.

Six heads, all from inner-city schools, have come together to hit out against the league table ranking and the inevitable negative publicity it has produced.

They claim that for a true representation of primary school standards throughout the district, parents, pupils and teachers should look no further than recent Ofsted reports.

Latest figures show that 62 per cent of Bradford primary schools were rated good or better by Government inspectors between September, 2005 and December, 2006.

Sylvia Davey, head teacher at Lilycroft Primary School in Manningham, said: "We are six, mostly inner-city, schools which have recently had good Ofsteds.

"We all have very similar intakes, mainly ethnic minority children, many of them from economically deprived backgrounds.

"We largely tell the same story - we are fed up of being the target for school-bashing, of being told that we are not providing our pupils with a challenging education, that it is our fault that Bradford is at the bottom of the league tables.

"We have come together to counter all this negative publicity and to ask for morale-boosting support instead.

"We know there is work still to be done and we are going to do it because we care about our pupils and their futures. But we would like credit where credit is due.

"We value children and praise them to give them confidence and self-esteem. Schools need this as well!"

In its latest Ofsted report, Lilycroft was given an overall rating of "good" by inspectors.

Mrs Davey added: "Our good Ofsted outcome actually surprised us. It should not have done! We knew we were working hard, had high expectations for our pupils and tracked and supported them through their learning and school life.

"We were surprised, because we were beginning to believe all that negative publicity ourselves. We discovered that the Ofsted inspectors were looking at more than just SATs results and, even then, that they took account of where our pupils had started.

"The inspectors told us we were overly modest' in our self-evaluation."

Beverley Robinson, head teacher at All Saints Primary School, Kennion Street, said pupils often arrived at the school with skill levels "well below the national average".

However, she added children had made good progress by the time they left the school in Year 6.

She said: "We were overjoyed when objective, evidence-based assessments confirmed that the teaching and learning at All Saints' and other inner-city Bradford schools is good and often outstanding and that we provide a curriculum and ethos in which children thrive and achieve well."

Sue Wood, head teacher at Girlington Primary School, Girlington Road, stressed that living in inner-city areas did not prevent good performance.

She said: "Pupils in inner-city schools in Bradford are able to progress academically and reach their potential.

"We have developed a high performing team who are focused upon promoting the highest quality of care and education for the pupils.

"Girlington is a truly inclusive school catering for a wide range of pupils, including 35 who are profoundly deaf. The quality of teaching and learning is good with outstanding features."

Mrs Wood said school staff provided excellent support to youngsters who did not speak English as a first language.

She added: "The school provides outstanding levels of care, guidance and support for pupils and those needing extra help with their learning are quickly identified with the help of a very thorough pupil-tracking system.

"Pupils are confident and courteous and behaviour is excellent. There have been no exclusions for over ten years.

"Staff work extremely well with outside agencies such as Families Forward' to support pupils and their families outside school.

"Pupils are well prepared for their future lives because of their good progress."

Gill Evans, head teacher at Heaton St Barnabas' Primary, said children and staff deserved positive recognition for their achievements.

She added: "After so much negative press for primary schools in the district, it is good to be publicly recognised for the hard work and commitment of staff who work very hard to provide the best opportunities possible for the children."

Ron Braithwaite, head teacher at Whetley Primary, Whetley Lane, said like other schools across the district, Whetley had recently received official confirmation of its success.

Mr Braithwaite said: "The school recently achieved the Sportactive Mark, the Investors in Pupils Standard and had its second Advanced Skills Teacher accreditation - all of which demonstrates its continued success.

"Whetley Primary is proud of its recent achievements and delighted that so many other local schools are making such a positive contribution to the community they serve."

Ian Hodgson, head teacher at Byron Primary School, said inspectors had labelled the school's leadership team "committed and passionate" during a recent visit.

"The positive report recognised our hard work, commitment and determination to continue to provide a quality education to one of the most disadvantaged communities in the country," he added.

Councillor Colin Gill (Con, Bingley), executive member for children's services, said staff, parents and pupils deserved recognition for their efforts.

He said: "In every single neighbourhood throughout the district there are fantastic primary schools delivering high-quality education to their pupils.

"Unfortunately, there is often a tendency to focus on those schools where performance is not as good as we would like.

"We have got to celebrate our successes much more and show all our teachers and pupils that we are proud of them."

e-mail: dan.webber @bradford.newsdesk.co.uk