Schools in the Bradford district have been urged to follow an academy’s example and help start up new Scout groups.

Bradford Academy in Teasdale Street, Bowling, is the latest school to join forces with the Scouts Association – a partnership that has seen teachers volunteer to train as Scout leaders and open a new Beaver group in the school.

And despite only opening in September, the group already has almost 40 members.

On Thursday the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, will perform an investiture ceremony, blessing the new group when he visits the academy as part of a two-day trip to Bradford.

The idea behind the partnership is that schools set up the groups, and once they are established parents and other volunteers will take over. The group is open to the entire community and not just pupils.

Now The Scout Association has asked other schools to get involved in the project, as the demand for Scouting is growing faster than the number of volunteers.

One of the academy’s volunteers, Scout leader and teacher Daniel Mosby, said: “I have been in Scouting myself since I was a Beaver and I can see how much it offers to children and young people. The plan is that in the future, we will be able to interest parents in taking over the running of the group, enabling them to develop new skills and leadership experience.”