Although there have been outstanding results for some Bradford schools in this year's Key Stage 2 and average attainment in English and maths across the district is up on last year, it is deeply disappointing that our primary schools have slipped back two places in the league tables.

Although Bradford has improved marginally, other places have done better still, pushing the district into seventh place from the bottom. This has continued the downward trend which last year saw our local schools drop one place.

Warmest congratulations must go to those schools like Eldwick Primary and Primrose Hill Primary, where a high number of pupils gained level four and above. But a great deal more clearly needs to be done at many of the rest if Bradford is to put its decline relative to the rest of the country into reverse.

It is time now to start asking serious questions about the way Bradford's education system is working - or (more to the point) not working. Seventh from the bottom and falling simply will not do.

The Education Bradford experiment surely by now has had time to start producing results. Failures can no longer be put down to the disruption caused by the schools reorganisation. That is largely over. This year was the year substantial improvements could reasonably have been expected.

Education Bradford says it has introduced new learning initiatives, has brought in new expertise, is increasing support for maths and sciences and is introducing additional teacher training. It is to be hoped that these measures help to reverse the trend and that next year we are able to report that the climb back up the league tables has begun.