Top teachers will be recruited from other countries, particularly Australia, to help boost standards in the Bradford district.

And experts from abroad will also be brought in to join a new leadership team.

Paul Brett, operation's director of Serco, the business services group which is planning to share the running of schools with Bradford Council from September, said the aim was to achieve the national average attainment level in schools by 2005.

Mr Brett was one of the chief speakers at the second day of a conference in Skipton today. The event, called A New Start for Bradford, was attended by teachers, governors and education officers.

Mr Brett said his company had devised a number of strategies to pull Bradford up from near the bottom of the national league tables.

"We want Bradford to reach the national average in attainment by 2005. But there is no simple solution," he said. The strategy included helping Bradford recruit more teachers by looking abroad, specifically to Australia.

"There is an under supply of teachers. They are not paid a great deal so don't move around very much. As teachers retire, it becomes more difficult to replace them."

Serco would also be looking to establish a new leadership team and some of the four or five jobs would be filled from abroad.

A school improvement officer would be employed to help schools explore problem areas and put them right.

Schools would be encouraged to self-evaluate and be supplied with special software, which would advice what action was needed.

And a "best practice" centre would be set up to help schools develop leadership strategies and raise attainment levels, especially among under achievers.