Calls for urgent top level government talks following Ofsted report into council's education support

A report into the local authority's school improvement services, released by Ofsted yesterday, criticises the current state of education in the district - suggesting the council had been too soft in the past - but said a new direction taken by the authority was "a cause for optimism."

Now, Labour MPs Judith Cummins for Bradford South and Bradford East's Imran Hussain have asked to urgently meet with Secretary of State for Education Nicky Morgan to make sure the city gets the support it needs to follow through on these improvements.

The report, the first inspection of the council under a new Ofsted regime, highlights failings around pupil attendance, points out the district's above average number of inadequate secondary schools and says the authority has not done enough to narrow the gaps between disadvantaged and other pupils across the district.

In June, inspectors spoke with council staff, headteachers and governors from council-run schools and academies, as well as visiting eight schools. They also looked at school performance reports, league tables and school improvement strategies.

Despite the criticism, the inspectors said head teachers and governors they spoke to appreciated there was a "step-change" happening in the council, and all children in the district were "in the council's line of sight" - whether they went to a council-run school or an academy.

Education leaders at the local authority told the Telegraph & Argus they recognised the issues raised by Ofsted and were pleased inspectors supported their plans for improvement.

The watchdog suggested the council get tougher on under performing schools by issuing warnings. It says the authority has previously depended too much on "informal, pre-warning notices."

The report adds: "The local authority has been too slow in driving improvement in the attainment, progress and attendance of pupils and in narrowing the gaps between disadvantaged and other pupils across the district.

"Although rising, not enough children achieve a good level of development in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Too few pupils make good progress from their very low starting points on entry to Key Stage 1 to the end of their primary education. This is particularly true of disadvantaged pupils, disabled pupils or those with special education needs.

"The proportion of students gaining at least five good GCSEs at grades A* to C, including English and mathematics, by the end of Key Stage 4 fell significantly in 2014 to well below that found nationally.

"Attendance rates are below average and unauthorised absence rates are well above average. The majority of outcomes for pupils at Key Stages 2 and 4 place Bradford in the lowest ten per cent of local authorities nationally.

"Previous strategies and partnerships have been ineffective in improving the quality of school provision or preventing schools from deteriorating, particularly in the secondary sector. Consequently, too many pupils in Bradford attend schools that are not good; around a third of primary-aged pupils and well over half of secondary-aged pupils.

"Although the number of primary schools judged inadequate is low, the proportion that requires improvement is twice the national average. Ten per cent of secondary schools are inadequate, which is well above the national average."

It adds: "There is a new direction in the local authority and a cause for optimism. Head teachers, governors and partners speak convincingly about a step-change in the authority’s approach and a new rigour and challenge to schools and partnerships.

"A strength identified in discussions throughout the inspection is the sense of urgency, purpose and commitment to driving improvement across all providers. Academy and free school leaders report that the local authority makes no distinction between academies and maintained schools and ‘all children are in the authority’s line of sight’, no matter what type of school they attend.

"Local authority officers are working closely with school leaders and the forum to tackle the history of underachievement in schools as a matter of urgency."

Last year the council commissioned a report by education expert Professor David Woods, who helped turn around London's under performing education system, as well as being an advisor for Birmingham schools.

His work highlighted several actions that needed to be taken to improve school standards, including quickening the pace with which the various education improvement boards in Bradford act.

The report has helped shape current council policies on school improvement, which include giving schools more power to drive through their own improvements.

Councillor Susan Hinchliffe, the executive member for education on the council, said: "It [Ofsted] recognises that improvement has not happened as fast as it should have, but the council has also recognised this.

"There is a new plan in place, it will take a lot of work but we have a clear plan of what needs to be done.

When asked why it had taken so long for the council to tackle education issues, she added: "We have fully accepted that the pace of improvement has not been fast enough.

"There have been incremental improvements in the past but what Ofsted have confirmed this time is that they have found evidence of a step-change in our approach and in our urgency to address under-performance.

"We have wasted no time since the Professor Woods report in implementing those changes recommended and that's what Ofsted have seen this time."

The council's strategic director for children's services, Michael Jameson, added: "The report recognises the improvement plan we've been developing the past year is the right approach. They recognise there is a step change to drive up standards.

"There is now a more school led approach, and were supporting the schools with this, including a big investment in leadership.

"I take some comfort that the report resonated with our own self assessments, there were no surprises. I'm confident we knew what needed to change."

But the district's MPs said action needed to be taken immediately.

Mrs Cummins said: "We must put our collective foot on the pedal and accelerate efforts to turn things around.

"Today I have made an urgent request to meet with the Secretary of State for Education, Nicky Morgan MP to discuss this report and to call for extra Government support for Bradford Council to deliver, with haste the necessary improvements."

Mr Hussain added: "The report is pretty damning. For a while I have said that it is unacceptable that Bradford remains near the bottom of the tables.

"In light of this report I have requested an urgent meeting with Nicky Morgan's office. We need support, and not just financial support but the expertise and support given to schools in places like London."

Councillor Simon Cooke, the Conservative leader on Bradford Council, said: "Although it says some changes have been made for the best, it says there are still changes that need to be made. The council needs to look at who can help, even if that help comes from academies, the private sector or outside the city.

"One of my colleagues said that if this was a report into a school, it would dangerously close to being put into special measures."

Councillor Jeanette Sunderland, leader of the Liberal Democrats, said the situation had a sense of deja vu.

"There is a sense of here we go again, 'Things have been bad in the past but we have taken steps to put it right - trust us.'

"It is now four years since the support for schools returned to the Council and we learn that the Council has, just within the last year, started to introduce measures and more importantly the people who - still at this stage only appear - to offer us once again the illusive 'step-change' we so badly need."