A nursery school is celebrating after becoming only the second in Bradford to be granted the accolade of ‘teaching school’ status.

St Edmund’s Nursery School and Children’s Centre in Girlington is one of only 150 schools in England to get the designation by the National College for Teaching and Leadership.

It means the school can lead the training and professional development for staff. The only other school in Bradford with the stamp is Feversham College in Undercliffe. The National College has responsibility for the designation and quality of the teaching schools programme, working closely with the Department for Education (DfE), as the national network grows to 500 teaching schools by 2015. Anne-Marie Merifield, the head teacher of St Edmund’s, said: “We have been working towards achieving Teaching School status for two years and are thrilled our hard work has been recognised by the National College.

“St Edmund’s is the lead in an alliance of 15 schools called The Bradford Birth to 19 Teaching School Alliance. We will work with schools across the district to improve outcomes for all children. The diversity of the schools involved will be a real strength of the alliance and Teaching School status will also bring enhanced resources into the city.”

Staff from the school will now attend a formal induction at the National College’s learning and conference centre in Nottingham. The teaching schools initiative began in 2011, marking a shift towards school-centred training and development. The programme gives outstanding schools the freedom and autonomy to lead a group of schools, working with other partners including at least one university, to deliver high quality support for teachers and leaders at all stages in their career.

Maggie Farrar, executive director at the National College, said: “Teaching schools like St Edmund’s should be proud of their achievement as they need to be at the top of their game to take on this role.

“With some 350 teaching schools around the country we are now well on our way to creating a self-improving school-led education system.

“Trainees can learn from the best teachers in action and those who want to move up the career ladder are exposed to excellent practice within and beyond their immediate school.”