Extra one-to-one help will be on offer to children at 15 schools in a £750,000 boost from a regeneration scheme.

Bradford Trident is pumping the money into the local schools in its area: Marshfields, West Bowling and Park Lane in Little Horton. The money will pay for learning mentors in each school for three years, to work with pupils needing extra support and encouragement.

Mentors are recognised nationally as having a beneficial effect on the learning of vulnerable pupils. They can work one-to-one or in groups with youngsters identified as needing more input - perhaps because they are under-performing, can't get motivated or have disruption at home.

Many Bradford schools already have learning mentors, funded through the Excellence in Cities or Education Action Zone programmes. But the Trident cash has enabled a new team of mentors to be appointed who are working together throughout the regeneration zone to share tips and good practice.

One of them, Shazia Mir, a 31-year-old mum-of-one from Little Horton, has started at Newby Primary in Ryan Street, West Bowling. Her typical day starts with the school's breakfast club at 8.15am when she reads children a story with their toast, and it is not unusual for her to still be there at 5pm, coaching the school rounders team.

"Becoming good at something like rounders builds their confidence and they get better in class," Mrs Mir said. "I feel proud that I'm encouraging them."

Linda Nash, head teacher at Newby, said: "It's important that we have good role models for our children, and Shaz sets a great example. I was watching one boy and his face lit up when he saw her - because it was 'his' time. Children don't get a lot of one-to-one attention.

"It's lovely to have a bilingual learning mentor as 89 per cent of the school's population has English as a second language."

Chas Stansfield, of the Trident regeneration scheme, said one of the programme's aims is to drive up the educational attainment of children in the area - which is well below average. "The schools in this area are doing a good job, but what was needed was support to individuals, around the teaching process," Mr Stansfield said.

Because mentors from both primary and secondary schools in the Trident area are working together, vulnerable pupils will be supported throughout their transition to high schools at 11.