Youngsters put down pens and paintbrushes yesterday to observe a minute's silence in tribute to the children massacred in the Russian school siege.

Pupils at a number of schools across the district stopped what they were doing at 11am to reflect on the tragedy which left at least 326 people dead in Beslan.

The three-day siege which started on the first day back after the summer holidays - September 1 - saw more than 1,000 children and adults held hostage.

As a mark of Europe-wide horror at the tragedy, government buildings and schools were invited to observe the minute's silence.

Pupils at Hanson School, Sutton Avenue, Bradford, were among those taking part in the silent tribute.

A school spokesman said: "The events in Russia really struck a chord with schools everywhere and we wanted to give the pupils a chance to think about what happened and reflect on the events.

"We all observed the silence out of respect for the adults and the many pupils who died just as they were looking forward to the new term."

Other schools, including Bingley Grammar School and Laisterdyke High, also observed the silence.

A spokesman for Challenge College in Frizinghall said: "We hold a two-minute silence every day and give the pupils different topics to think about.

"They have spent time thinking about the horrific events in Russia and it has touched everyone."

At Bradford Council the silence was not officially observed but a spokesman said that lots of people stayed silent to mark the events.

Father Vadim Zakrevsky at the Russian Orthodox Church's London headquarters said the church had a parish based at Claremont Villas in Bradford.

"We held a minute's silence to remember the dead of Beslan and also to pray for the people who are left and hope they can rebuild their lives and the community and find some peace.

"We expect that people connected to Russia and the church everywhere took part to take a minute to think about what happened."