A Bradford school have won a national tournament at the home of England’s national football teams, St George’s Park.

Oastlers Bradford won out against 11 teams from across the country, with assistant head Sean Regan admitting it was an incredible experience for the SEN children.

Regan led the youngsters on their winning adventure and said: “We played regional qualifiers in Brighouse and won that.

“Then fair play to the team, because they went to the nationals and won that unbeaten.

“It was touch and go, even though we won seven and drew three, as there were a couple of other excellent teams there.

“We got to the nationals last year too but got nowhere near winning. (England manager) Gareth Southgate was there last year actually in support, but sadly he was away this time.”

Regan was keen to emphasise the importance of the experience for the youngsters, saying: “We stayed at the Hilton, which is right next to St George’s Park, so the kids got an understanding of how the England team prepare.

“They pretty much went straight out on to the pitch from the hotel, which was unbelievable.

“We went for the experience, using the facilities at a place like that.

“Some of the young lads were new to it all too, so it was great for them.”

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: The venue is home to all of England's national teams.The venue is home to all of England's national teams. (Image: UGC.)

The school environment at Oastlers no doubt helped the children on their amazing adventure, with Regan saying: “Our kids are so resilient.

“We’re not a big school and can’t always get big numbers for teams in the age groups, so how we prepare for these events is key.

“We had (Bradford City stars) Harry Lewis and Ryan East down for a visit a few months ago to school and it’s massively important the kids get the opportunity to meet people like that, and Gareth Southgate, because they’re inspirational figures.

“We want these pupils to achieve big things and they deserve these opportunities.

“And if you see the young lads at school, they’re out playing 40 minute games of football every lunchtime.

“They love the game and it was great for them to get that experience at St George’s Park.”

Oastlers headteacher Lyndsey Brown added: “We are extremely proud of our football team, who worked hard to get into the national finals, but to win it is something else.

“The lads had such a desire to play in this prestigious competition, so to win it was the icing on the cake.”