THREE Bradford primary schools have been praised for helping their most disadvantaged pupils close the gap on their classmates.

Brackenhill Primary School in Great Horton, Farnham Primary School in Little Horton and St Francis Catholic Primary School, in Myers Lane, were recognised by the Department for Education in their Pupil Premium awards.

The awards are given to schools "have made or continue to make impressive improvements in the attainment of their disadvantaged pupils," and are based on the recently released Key Stage 2 results.

And Schools Minister David Laws has told the head of Brackenhill Primary that the school is one of the most improved in the country for how it helps children from disadvantaged families.

A pupil premium is given to a school for each child from a poor or disadvantaged background that attends the school. The money is meant to be used to make sure these pupils, who statistically under perform compared to their better off classmates, do not fall behind. For primary schools the grant is £1,300 a year.

All three schools won £1,000 in the latest round of awards, but say that being recognised for their good work is much more important than the money. In the schools, children eligible for pupil premiums performed at a much better level than would be expected of them.

Helen Metcalf, head of Brackenhill Primary School, said about a third of pupils in the school are eligible for the premium: "We're thrilled to bits to get this. It is nice to be acknowledged.

"We've worked very hard to narrow the gap between pupils by using this money imaginatively and by giving these children as many opportunities as we can. It is good to get that acknowledgement that we are spending this money well in ways that are having positive outcomes. Children are leaving us prepared for secondary school in the best way they can be."

Richard Edwards, head of Farnham, said about a fifth of the children at the school qualified for the pupil premium.

He added: "As a school we work really hard to engage parents and support children. We work together to make the school a fun and interesting place for the children to come every day.

"We make sure the funding reaches and helps the child, and this happens in all sorts of different forms. It might be helping put shoes on their feet or making sure they go on a residential that is important for them. It is used to narrow and remove the gaps between them and other pupils by the time they get to their final year. It is something we're very proud of."

The schools have been invited to apply for the prizes of up to £100,000, which will be awarded in March.

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