WHEN Michael Latham left Skipton Parish Church School in 2003 to take on an inner city school in Bradford a few thought he must be mad.

Mr Latham had a good reputation at Parish Church, but he said he fancied the challenge of helping children from a less privileged background.

His gamble has paid off, as this week his new school, Newby, became the first in inner city Bradford to be officially branded "outstanding" by Ofsted.

"Leaving a highly effective and well regarded school like Parish was, I knew," said Mr Latham, who still lives in Cononley.

"It was certainly a planned step into the unknown with the prize the knowledge that one had used all one's ability to make a difference to the lives of some of the nation's most disadvantaged pupils.

"It could have gone horribly wrong and there was no way back. I was, and I knew it, putting my career on the line in the search for a new challenge."

The differences between Skipton Parish Church and Newby are far greater than the 17 mile daily journey down the Aire Valley from his home in Cononley.

He said the two schools have much in common: a desire to provide the best for the children be it Middletown Skipton or West Bowling, Bradford; the celebration of staff and pupils' individual achievements and a belief in the need to create a stimulating and caring environment in which pupils can flourish.

The differences, however, are stark. Newby is statistically set within one of the most disadvantaged areas in the UK, has more than 500 pupils, of whom less than 30 have English as their first language, more than 15 nationalities its pupils are overwhelmingly Muslim.

"Where once liaison was with Holy Trinity, it is now with three local mosques," said Mr Latham. "The current challenge is not putting on a better theatre production than the previous year but meeting the needs of Eastern European pupils who arrive with no English and a big smile!"

"I have very fond memories of the staff, parents and pupils at Parish and the success we enjoyed together. At the same time, it has been hugely rewarding to take Newby to Ofsted's Outstanding category against all the odds. I am delighted to see the latest developments at Parish but am, with some relief, glad to say the risk paid off!"