Headteachers say they are optimistic that parents will back them in their bid to secure better funding for the district's schools.

On Wednesday a letter from headteachers arrived at the home of every secondary school pupil, calling on parents to lobby their local councillors and MPs.

The same day, the area's 25 heads stood shoulder to shoulder to demand an extra £18 million goes directly into schools over the next three years.

"I am convinced there will be a very strong reaction," said John Patterson, head at Bingley Grammar School.

"Members of staff here have already had some very positive feedback.

"I think that the letters in support will come thick and fast before much longer."

John Fowler, headteacher at Rhodesway Upper School, said they had already received a number of positive responses from parents sent to the school to be forwarded to the council.

At Hanson School in Sutton Avenue, and Queensbury Upper, headteachers Tony Thorne and Richard Moore, both said they had received a lot of positive feedback from staff and parents.

Meanwhile parents at Queensbury School welcomed the campaign.

Susan Adams, who has a son at the school, said: "I feel that education of Bradford children should be as important as any where else in the country.

"Every child deserves equal opportunities and Bradford Council should get together with Leeds Council to see where they're going wrong."

Parent Wendy Ryan said: "It's wrong that Bradford should be penalised when other schools in Yorkshire aren't."

Surinder Singh, whose two daughters go to the school, added: "There's a definite difference between how pupils in Bradford are treated compared with how pupils in Leeds are. Bradford's got a very long way to go."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.