Education in Bradford will enter a new era in a matter of weeks when a partnership is sealed between Bradford Council and Serco-QAA.

The company was recommended to the Council's Executive Committee on May 10 by a steering group as the preferred bidder to run education services in the district.

The process was put in place following last year's report by schools' watchdog Ofsted which widely condemned the Council's running of its education services.

Negotiations have already begun between the Council and Serco-QAA to finally cement the partnership and the contract should be awarded officially by June 15, though it is still subject to approval by the Department for Education and Employment.

If everything goes to plan, Serco-QAA will formally take over the running of education services at the end of July after a lead-in period during the summer. The £210million contract will be the biggest education contract ever awarded in the UK and will last seven years.

Paul Brett, operations director of Serco Education, and Bradford Council's chief executive Ian Stewart describe how their plans will affect parents and children.

Q: What experience do you have that will benefit Bradford?

PB: I was director of education at Bedford-shire Council for seven years before joining Serco. During that time I was used by the DfEE to intervene in authorities that had had difficulties in their Ofsted reports. I have also worked in a number of LEAs, with Cleveland being the closest to Bradford. I am a former head-teacher in a senior school and have had a long career in education. Serco has a great deal of educ-ation experience with four people who were chief educ-ation officers (CEOs). Others have been assistant CEOs or chief advisers in LEAs. We have people who have done this time and time again.

IS: Serco's experience in Special Educational Needs is very appropriate. It has got experience in that area that is clearly visible.

Q: What will Serco-QAA's role in the partnership be?

PB: Initially our role is all about working closely with the Council. It is very much a partnership - we are not here to take over. We will be working with the Council to improve services. We will provide strategic manage-ment leadership to the education service and provide high-quality services. Initially we want to ensure a smooth transition with the minimum disruption to schools. There are about 1,000 staff to move from Council employment to that of Serco. When there's a great deal of change you have got to stabilise what's happening before you think about moving to big improvements. The key to our success is building appropriate and strong relationships with the stakeholders - parents, schools, pupils, governors - as we will be judged by what the stakeholders actually think of education services in a year or so.

Q: What are the problems and issues which need to be addressed in Bradford?

PB: This is what was highlighted in the Ofsted report. The basic problem is low attainment. We must become involved in working with and supporting schools in raising standards. It's schools that raise standards, not LEAs. The main issue is the confidence of schools in the education service.

Q: What new ideas do you have for education, relating to these problems?

PB: We are not going to come in with gimmicks - that's not the way of improving education services.

Q: How will you drive up attainment levels for children?

PB: We must ensure that we learn from best practice. There is an awful lot of best practice in Bradford schools which we can learn from and make sure we disseminate that to other schools. We are also hoping we'll involve head-teachers and governing bodies more in service provision - by setting up steering groups. We will be targeting areas of particular under-achievement.

Q: What proposals have you drawn up?

PB: We are still negotiating with the Council. We are still just the preferred bidder and the contract hasn't been awarded yet.

Q: Who will you employ to lead the project, apart from people already at the Council?

PB: We have people like Tony Webster who was a chief education officer at Thameside and also worked for LEAs in Gateshead, Leicester and Waltham Forest. Roy Jones was a CEO in Bath and Somerset, and a deputy CEO in Hampshire. Martin Davies was CEO in South Tyneside.

IS: Experience in Leicester is important as it has the nearest population mix to Bradford. We are going to work with Serco to appoint their version of a chief executive. The decision will be arrived at jointly and we will be involved in the selection process - us helping them and them helping us.

Q: Will your fee be performance-related and if so, how will it be measured?

PB: We will earn no money from the contract unless we achieve the targets the Council require us to. But we are still in negotiations over this.

Q: How much of what the Council is spending on education itself will you be taking in profit?

PB: We're paid a fee and the Council would not allow that to be excessive. If you look at Serco's accounts you will see an average of four per cent net profit. We're not making money out of the public sector.

IS: Cost was a factor and both companies were affordable. Serco was chosen on education ability. Money was not a major issue. We must look at quality of results before we look at costs.

Q: Do you expect to increase or decrease the number of staff employed by the education department?

PB: Schools are self-determining so will decide on their own staffing levels. But it is too early to say about the education department. After we've completed negotiations we can look at and determine staffing levels. There are current vacancies which will give us some flexibility. Efficiency does not necessarily mean less staff. We're looking to achieve more for the money. We have been made nothing but welcome in Flockton House (where the Education Department is based). That is a good omen for the future.

IS: We want to make sure the transition goes as smoothly as possible and that the interests of staff are safeguarded, particularly in regard to pensions. Serco has looked at using the same pension provider and staff will be employed on the same terms and conditions.

Q: What about capital projects. Will you continue to use Flockton House?

PB: One of the advantages a private company can bring into this relationship is ability to invest. It may be that it is appropriate to move education services closer to the city centre - but we need discussions with the Council and staff before we can make that decision.

Q: When will schools see a difference and what will it be, compared to what is going on now?

PB: If people said schools would see a difference in September they would be lying, but in two years there will be a dramatic change. Bradford will be a model for many things it is doing for other authorities. It will be a success story. There is a problem with recruitment and retention of teachers so we want to make Bradford a place where teachers want to come and teach. That change will come about more quickly. Everything I have seen and heard has encouraged me. Bradford is ready to lift off in standards of education and attainment.

How do you think education will have changed in Bradford at the end of the seven years?

PB: You will have an authority that for its population is looked upon as high attaining.

Parents will notice the education service their children are receiving is of high quality and of higher quality than surrounding areas. When the DfEE wants examples of good practice the name of Bradford will come to the lips.