Parents are being coaxed back to school and into one of eight new classrooms being built this year by a regeneration scheme.

The £757,000 investment means new extensions at eight primary schools in the Trident area, around Manchester Road in Bradford.

The new classrooms mean schools will, for the first time, have the space to welcome parents and host lifelong learning courses.

The eight schools involved are Bowling Park, Bankfoot, St Stephen's and St Matthew's primary schools, which are gaining new buildings; Marshfield, All Saints and St Joseph's primary schools, which are having refurbishment work; and Newby Primary, where an extension and refurbishment will go ahead.

Elizabeth Mansbridge, head teacher of St Stephen's, said: "From our school's point of view, this will enable us to involve parents more - at the moment, we physically haven't got the space.

"The new building will have five computers and we hope to use it for parents and local youths, to extend their learning. It's something we've wanted to do for a long time."

The scheme was launched at St Stephen's Primary School where youngsters cut a cake and sang songs.

The new classrooms will be built by Bovis Lend Lease, the building company already working across the district on the schools reorganisation programme. Work will start within a few weeks.

Councillor Ian Greenwood, chairman of Trident and leader of the Labour group on Bradford Council, is an old boy of St Stephen's. He admitted to the children that he had been a rotten singer as a boy.

"My teacher told me to just stand there and move my mouth, because I had a horrible voice," he said.

Trident, which is spending £50 million over ten years in Marshfields, West Bowling and Park Lane, aims to improve educational achievement at all ages. The new purpose-built community rooms will all have ICT and Internet access.

They will provide space for parents to meet during school hours, as part of a parent and toddler group or to do formal or informal courses. The rooms may also be let to groups on evenings and weekends.

Bovis Lend Lease project manager Brian Johnson said "We are delighted to be associated with this project."