Bradford has leapt 34 places up a national league table ranking the performance of five-year-olds in their education.

The validated Early Years Foundation Stage Profile results for 2013, published by the Department for Education yesterday, show the gap between the city’s performance and the national average has narrowed by three percentage points, compared with six per cent in 2012.

The figures show 49 per cent of Bradford five-year-olds achieved a ‘good level’ of development in 2013 compared with the national average of 52 per cent.

And Bradford is now ranked 90th out of 152 local authorities compared with 124th last year.

The DfE information also shows a rise in the number of children being assessed at the end of the Foundation Stage.

Councillor Ralph Berry, the Council’s executive member for children’s services, said: “Schools, the pupils and their parents and carers deserve to be congratulated for the efforts in helping younger children make such good progress.”