We have given a lot of coverage lately to the results in local primary schools, which an Education Bradford review has shown have on average become worse over the last three years.

These failings must be addressed. Education Bradford have recognised that and are planning consultations with parents to devise and develop a new strategy.

However, it's possible that the dilapidated state of some Bradford schools could have had an impact on the pupils' performance. Certainly some of the portable buildings and decaying Victorian sites are not conducive to learning.

So the £6.5 million promised to Bradford primary schools from the Government's Primary Capital Programme in 2008-09 is welcome. According to schools minister Jim Knight, the money is an acknowledgement of Bradford's "strategic vision and track record in delivering high-quality, innovative school buildings".

It is, however, a drop in the ocean given the need to replace some old schools and refurbish and extend others to cater for the influx of new pupils coming into the system in a district with a growing population. Such a modest sum will hardly "sweep away the legacy of decades of under-investment," as Mr Knight puts it. An awful lot more is needed, but the money will at least help to tackle some of the highest-priority cases.

Despite this welcome windfall, though, the state of the buildings should not be allowed to hamper efforts to improve the educational standards of Bradford youngsters, or be used as an excuse for continued failure.