THE improved performance of Bradford’s youngest pupils at pre-school level and in Year 1 is a welcome step in the right direction.

However, it is clear that such progress now needs to be carried through the year groups right up to secondary school age, where major concerns still exist.

It is now two years since independent expert Professor David Woods published an improvement plan for change for the district’s struggling schools.

It’s good to see that Bradford Council has now taken on all 17 of his recommendations, but it will take time for those changes to take full effect as there is no easy fix for the district’s long-standing record of poor academic achievement.

A particular concern now surrounds reading levels at the age of 11, with the district languishing well below the national average.

If children’s reading is to improve, lessons cannot stop when a child walks out of a classroom but must continue at home.

Parents must reinforce the work of teachers by helping to equip youngsters with the ability to read well - a life skill that can be a passport to success.

In a district as diverse as ours, there are also language difficulties to overcome, so it is positive to be reporting today on a new project helping mums-to-be improve their English in a part of Bradford where nearly a third of women cannot speak or read English.

A wide range of factors account for Bradford’s low educational attainment, so a multi-pronged solution is needed.

Let’s hope the steps now being taken do have a positive impact in the years to come.