A million-pound scheme targeting badly-behaved pupils aims to cut the number of under-11s kicked out of school.

Education Bradford is launching the drive under its Behaviour Support Plan in September.

A new emphasis on prevention includes four new centres in primary schools where children can be sent if they are causing problems.

The aim is to support and work with the youngsters to enable them to return to their classrooms, instead of facing exclusion.

The four new primary centres, plus revamped facilities for the 11-to-14-year age group, are being made possible through a £1.25 million investment from Bradford Council.

Pauline Armour, achievement support manager at Education Bradford, believes it should be possible to cut the number of primary age children expelled from school from the current 12 per year to just one or two per year.

Decisions on whether to exclude pupils rest with heads and governing bodies and Mrs Armour said pupils responsible for extreme acts of violence or setting fire to their school could still be justifiably excluded.

But other youngsters should be able to continue if they got extra support at a centre, and their teachers got some respite.

Education Bradford is in talks with four primary schools - as yet unnamed - which will host the new centres.

Each will have 20 places for at-risk pupils from neighbouring schools. A centre for older pupils is to be established at one of the district's secondary schools.

The changes will mean the number of primary "prevention" places will rise from the current 15 to 80 and the number for all age groups from 197 to 316.

In the new centres, youngsters will be working in smaller groups with specialist staff. They may receive training in anger management.

"Some children need more time for emotional development," said Mrs Armour. "Taken away to somewhere smaller, there can be an emphasis on understanding."

The existing Jesse Street and Aireview Pupil Referral Units for excluded teenagers are also being revamped .