Keighley schools claim their pupils are providing a working model for how multi-cultural communities can flourish, contrary to the outcome of the race report.

The Ouseley Report revealed that local schools were fuelling race divisions by creating an apartheid culture.

Yet secondary schools in Keighley have already been tackling these issues by working together to provide a successful multi-cultural environment.

Miles Mizon, head teacher of Greenhead High School, said: "In Keighley there are differences in social classes but I believe that all the schools are endeavouring to provide a successful multi-cultural environment.

"Sixty-five per cent of our pupils are Asian and 35 per cent are white, and that itself is a positive fact and a strength for the school. It is essential that a mixed school flourishes and pupils of different backgrounds can work alongside each other to provide a model for Keighley and other communities."

The report has attacked school admission procedures, claiming that they are encouraging separation rather than improving integration.

It maintains that schools rarely listen to parents and pupils, and there is a lack of discipline and academic achievement.

John Roberts, head teacher of Oakbank School, said: "It is an incredibly complex problem and I think there are three conflicting issues. One is racial harmony, the second is an idea of a model comprehensive and thirdly is social engineering, where we bus people from one place to another to get a balance of racial integration, and you cannot have all three of these.

"The admission process is complicated in the community because of religious schools for both Catholics and Muslims."

Conor Davis, head teacher of Holy Family RC School, said: "If we have race problems we report them to the LEA and we invite parents to come into school to discuss the matter. I have suspended children for racist acts. Our pupils are from all faiths. They do not have serious racial problems and the children do mix well together, although I am aware that there are tensions in society outside this school. It is about time they stopped blaming the police and the teachers and confronted the real problems."

One positive approach has been the creation of a successful integrated sixth form between Holy Family RC School and Greenhead High School last September.

Mr Davis said: "We facilitate our sixth formers mixing with Greenhead High school pupils, and this encourages youngsters to get to know pupils from other faiths and different backgrounds. We are very pleased with the way this has gone."

The report is proposing to improve citizenship lessons to reduce social and racial tensions, though schools feel this is already covered in the curriculum under religious education.

Mr Roberts concluded: "We teach a compulsory module on prejudice and persecution, and this is very helpful in a multi-cultural society."

Mr Davis added: "In religious education we teach our 11-16 year old pupils, in the main school, about faiths other than Catholicism, including Hindu, Muslim and other faiths as part of the curriculum."