A secondary school in Bradford which is at the forefront of moves to revolutionise the way children learn is to give away £1 million of computer software.

Teaching staff at Dixon's City Academy started a multi-media design, development and production company in 2001.

Six years on, Interactive Learning is ready to unveil its latest cutting edge software which uses popular culture to help teach GCSE information technology.

The company has produced a five CD-Rom series which features techniques pioneered by Hollywood movies alongside fictional animated rock band "Expensive Pencil" and a David Brent-style spokesman.

All are used to explain a series of complex topics and quiz youngsters on their knowledge.

In a bold move, a copy of the first in the series, valued at more than £200, will be offered to every secondary school in England.

Tony Hosker, Interactive Learning's operations director, a former business studies teacher at Dixon's in Ripley Street, West Bowling, said: "We encourage active learning not passive learning.

"The new series is about getting pupils involved in the learning process.

"As a school-based company, our profits go back into the college for the benefit of our students.

"We'd now like to extend this to the wider education community and give something back to other schools."

Mr Hosker, 38, said he was confident that schools nationwide would love the CD-Rom and its unique learning methods, and would come back to Interactive Learning to order the rest of the series which includes 25 hours of interactive content.

The first CD-Rom follows Expensive Pencil's lead singer "Rocky Flame" as he, with help from his leather-clad band-mates, battles to log letters from adoring fans.

IT students must use their skills to help the band launch their own database and complete other data-handling tasks to ensure the unruly rockers remain in favour.

"Rocky Flame", otherwise-known as Jon Bliss, 40, who came to Dixon's as a student teacher before joining Interactive Learning full-time, said: "The series uses humour to help the students learn.

"Exercises can be put up on an electronic white board for entire classes to work through or completed individually on a computer.

"The series has taken hundreds-of-thousands of pounds to develop over a period of eighteen months."

Mr Bliss is a former professional actor who appeared on the stage and in a series of TV productions including Coronation Street and Brookside.

He put his drama skills to good use by providing the voice for Rocky Flame and a second animated character who bears a striking resemblance to David Brent from hit TV series The Office.

"This is all about engaging students and capturing their imagination and interest," he added.

"It's all about learning by doing."

Dixon's pupils have already tested the series, which also features a character similar to Morpheus from hit science fiction film trilogy The Matrix and nods to Star Wars, giving it a universal thumbs up.

Mr Hosker said: "We tested it with pupils on a Friday who did not want to leave the class when the bell went."

Heads of IT at Bradford secondary schools have been invited to a special presentation on June 12 before the CD-Rom is rolled out nationwide.

Visit www.interactive-learning.info for further information on the software and free training seminars.