Pupils will forge friendships across racial divides in a new £150,000 project in Bradford.

The money will pay for 20 pairs of mainly-white or mainly-Asian schools to link up for regular joint lessons.

The aim is to heal racial divisions in Bradford by enabling children who do not normally have contact with their counterparts in other communities to mingle. Most primary schools are 'monocultural' because they often reflect the racial make-up of their local neighbourhood.

Each pair of twinned schools will arrange for ten- and 11-year-old pupils to take part in joint projects promoting literacy and communication skills.

The youngsters will start off at the 'neutral venue' of the Cartwright Hall art gallery, looking at the artwork of different cultures, before progressing to joint classes at each other's schools - six per year.

The scheme builds on a number of existing twinning projects set up since the riots last summer, which have been hailed a success. The new twinning scheme is funded through Bradford Vision which received Government cash from the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund.

The primary schools being twinned are: Girlington and Eldwick; Ashlands and Shipley CE; Killinghall and St John's CE; Burley & Woodhead CE and St Andrew's CE at Keighley; Bankfoot and Shirley Manor; Miriam Lord and Thornton; Myrtle Park, Bingley and Frizinghall; Farnham and St Anthony's RC, Clayton; Westbourne and Newhall Park; Chapel Grange and Heaton Royds special schools.

Organiser Angie Kotler, of Education Bradford, said she had been inspired to extend the programme after watching children from the mainly-Muslim Girlington Primary School and mostly-white Eldwick Primary School working together. The Girlington class had one white girl while the Eldwick class had only one non-white child.

The youngsters moved from initial culture shock to a better understanding of each other. And there were some amusing moments, such as the time a talented Asian girl popped up in a playground kickabout in Eldwick - surprising the lads by running rings around them.

"She was a star at football and made mincemeat of them, which they were not expecting," Ms Kotler said. "Their expectations were being challenged, in the nicest possible way. Initially they had anxieties but by the time they had met three times, that completely disappeared.

"Without ever saying to the children why we were doing it, they knew," she said. "They would say things like 'If every school did this we wouldn't have riots', which from the eyes of a ten-year-old is quite astute."

When she invited applications from other schools for the new programme she was quickly inundated. Ten pairs will be linked up this year, with another ten joining in next year.

Barbara Ford, head teacher at St Anthony's Catholic Primary, Clayton, is linking with Farnham Primary, which has mostly Muslim children.

She said: "The children think it's absolutely wonderful."

Janice Kershaw, headteacher of Eldwick Primary School, said: "These link-ups help break down stereotypes and misconceptions between youngsters."