The success of Bradford College in the national league table of teacher training colleges is very encouraging. To have been named as the most improved college in the country and the best in the region, beating its Leeds rivals, is a real feather in the cap for the institution.

Its achievement in pulling itself up from 68th place out of 74 in 2002 to 15th this year merits a tremendous pat on the back. It is good news too for Bradford as a whole. There are not too many positive headlines from the district in the education field. This is a real boost for morale.

Hopefully the praise heaped on the college in the report from academics at Liverpool University - including the view that its courses attract high-quality students who are very successful in gaining employment as teachers - will encourage more Bradford people to enrol there and will also bring in a greater number from outside the district.

Both college and university suffered from a dramatic drop in applications for courses in the wake of the riots of two years ago. Fortunately that trend has now been reversed. Confidence is again growing in Bradford as a place to study, with families no longer so concerned at the prospect of their sons and daughters coming here.

Let's hope that many of the teachers produced by these courses decide not to take their newly-won qualifications elsewhere and instead remain in Bradford to create a pool of talent which can help to give the district's education a lift right across the board.