READING, writing and maths - the three Rs, in long-standing parlance - form the basic building blocks of any child’s education, and unfortunately Bradford has a history of not having the best attainment in these areas.

It seems, though, that the number of pupils at Key Stage 2 are improving in these subjects, according to preliminary figures released following the summer’s SATS exams taken by children about to leave primary school.

The full picture won’t be known until the proper figures are released in December, but although any improvement is to be welcomed, it does seem that Bradford isn’t narrowing the gap between this district and others quite as fast as we would like.

Not that education should be about league tables - far from it. The achievement and progress of pupils is the most important thing. But if Bradford continues to lag behind then the situation remains a problematic one, despite small gains in the numbers of children hitting the national targets.

There are suggestions that we should do more to get children in libraries to improve their reading. This is an eminently sensible idea, and great work is already being done in the district to encourage children to use their local library more.

There are more distractions and rivals for young people’s time today than there ever have been, with many preferring to spend their time online or playing games than reading. Those digital distractions are also tools which can be used to encourage learning, if utilised in the right way.

However we ultimately do it, one thing is quite clear: levels of attainment in these basic skills must improve in Bradford.