Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott teased pupils about their devotion to Harry Potter and admitted his own deficiencies in English when he dropped in at a Bradford school.

The cabinet heavyweight - looking trim in a navy suit - also paid warm tribute to Linda Nash, who is leaving Newby Primary after 22 years as head.

Mr Prescott was at the beacon school in West Bowling for the second time in a year, this time to open a new community room funded by the Trident regeneration project.

He chatted to an enthusiastic group of children about their early morning breakfast club which has been running a Harry Potter themed week. The school also runs a homework club.

"It's a tremendous experience to come here and find that the children are happy to come in early and stay late," he said, adding that during his own schooldays he tended to be "in late and out early".

He praised the school, which as a beacon is one of the best performing in the country, for its excellent atmosphere and for the children's good attitudes.

"One child summed it up by saying 'I just love coming to school'," he said.

"Hopefully that will go on to the later stages of education as well. I went in at the age of 29, and never managed English as you know."

Mr Prescott returned to full-time education after ten years as a seaman.

The £100,000 community room at Newby, a former laundry, will now be used by parents and local groups, and has a computer suite for use by pupils.

It is one of a series in the Trident regeneration zone of West Bowling, Marsh-fields and Park Lane.

Jackie Walters, chairman of governors at Newby, said: "We used to call this building 'the stone shed' and although we have spent bits of school money on it, it has now been transformed."

Mr Prescott was driven away in a green Jaguar car, waved off by staff and pupils from the school. Before he left he praised the work of Trident in regenerating the run-down Manchester Road area.

"Educational results are up, crime is down in one of the most difficult areas of the UK - they said it couldn't be done," he said.

But when asked about another crucial regeneration issue in Bradford, the stalled Broadway shopping centre development, Mr Prescott said he knew nothing about it, saying: "I'm from Hull."

Ministers have been asked to step in after Yorkshire Forward caused anger in Bradford by refusing to underwrite £10 million of infrastructural improvements for the £200 million scheme.