The results of the biggest ever inquiry into the district's primary school standards will now be revealed in the autumn.

A root-and-branch probe into primary school standards was launched after Government performance league tables late last year revealed Bradford's exam results for 11-year-olds were the second worst in the UK.

Bradford Council's Young People and Education Improvement Committee, which has led the inquiry, had hoped to publish its findings in the spring. But the scale of the wide-ranging investigation has led to a new schedule being adopted.

The committee has already heard evidence on what can be done to improve primary school performance from Education Bradford, Bradford Council, the Early Years and Childcare Service and teaching union representatives.

However, letters to all primary school head teachers inviting contributions to the inquiry were only sent out earlier this month. Committee members also plan to visit a local education authority regarded as a "statistical neighbour" in July.

Draft recommendations will then be presented to the committee at its meeting on Wednesday, July 25, before a final report is written.

At the committee's June meeting today at City Hall, Professor Ivan Reid, director of the University of Bradford's Unit for Educational Research and Education, stressed that he hoped the inquiry would "pursue evidence rather than opinion".

Prof Reid, appointed as a "critical friend" to the inquiry, said he had been "impressed with the level of opinion but also by the relative lack of evidence" it had gathered so far.

Prof Reid also claimed that several key questions he had raised during the early stages of the inquiry had not been "adequately answered".

They included what Education Bradford's action plan to address district-wide attainment targets consisted of.

He also asked for clear data on staff recruitment, retention, qualifications and experience and whether these factors could be related to pupil performance.

More information was also needed on primary school class sizes throughout the district and whether these too had a significant impact on performance, he said.

John Gaskin, Education Bradford managing director, said answers to Prof Reid's questions could be found and explored further at a meeting to be arranged later in the summer.

Mr Gaskin said one of the key questions the inquiry had to answer was why some primary schools in high-deprivation areas were out-performing others in less-challenged districts.

Mr Gaskin said: "Some schools with high levels of free school meals are out-performing others with a low level of free school meals. It comes down to what is happening in the classroom."

Key "themes" or "improvement areas" the inquiry has identified so far include the role of education social workers, pupil tracking, support to schools through the district's School Improvement Programme and parental involvement and citizenship.