What the inspectors found...
SCHOOL PERFORMANCE
FAIL: Standards of attainment are lower than national averages. The rate of improvement is insufficient, standards are rising but are
"barely keeping pace" with national statistics.
PASS: Truancy levels are high but have fallen recently. Rates or permanent exclusions are in line with or below the national
average.
FUNDING
FAIL: Bradford Council has been spending less on education than the Government expects since 1995.
Funding for schools is low in line with the low overall education budget and below that of similar authorities, leaving school budgets in serious
difficulties.
The authority is keeping more money for central services than similar authorities despite having a standard allocation of £17.FAIL:
million, the fifth highest of any education authority in the country. This money is designed to go into school budgets.
PASS: In December 1999 the authority announced £11 million extra for education over a three-year period.
COUNCIL STRUCTURE
FAIL: There is no separate scrutiny committee for education. This may need to be a future consideration.
PASS: The restructuring of the council's top management will strengthen the management for structure for education.
EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT PLAN
FAIL: Inadequate approach to raising standards in the context of urban poverty and at a time of major change because of the schools
re-organisation.
An over-emphasis on social and economic factors: "While these circumstances present challenges to schools, an opportunity has been missed for the LEA
to take a strong lead to inspire schools to look beyond these social and economic explanations."
PASS: Appropriate priorities which have the support of schools.
BRADFORD SCHOOLS SHAKE-UP
FAIL: Poorly managed in its early stages. The building programme is now operating to too tight a timescale. Lack of support for
years FAIL:and 8 which will move to new secondary schools.
Teachers who will have to teach new age groups have received insufficient training.
Nursery provision not included in the review of schools which was used as a basis for the shake-up proposal.
No certainty that the most effective teachers from closing schools had been identified for placements
PASS: Focus on meeting needs of years 5 and 6 moving to new primary schools.
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
FAIL: "The onus for raising standards rests largely with schools but they are entitled to expect better support from the LEA than they
receive."
"The fact that secondary schools are poorly funded in itself casts doubt on the strength of an all-party agreement, or corporate consensus that
education is the council's priority and at the heart of regeneration strategies."
A lack of co-ordination between LEA staff who monitor and those who support schools, they need to work together.
Significant weaknesses in support for in improving standards in information and communication technology (ICT). Significant number of schools have
limited access to the internet and the number of computers in secondary schools set to be below the national average.
PASS: Support for numeracy is very good and satisfactory for literacy.
Good support for school governors.
EARLY YEARS PROVISION
PASS: "The LEA has a coherent, strategic approach to developing early years provision."
All the council's nursery schools have "considerable strengths".
SPEED, OPENNESS AND EFFECTIVENESS OF DECISON MAKING
FAIL: "Schools often feel that decisions have been taken before their views are heard and not in a sufficiently transparent way."
A level of mistrust continues to exist in relationships between councillors, officers and schools.
Financial management and planning poor.
PASS: The openness and honesty of the education director, Diana Cavanagh.
LEADERSHIP
FAIL: Councillors had given unsatisfactory leadership, were confused about their strategic role and needed to consult with schools more.
Quality of senior officers leadership varied.
Management of reorganisation unsatisfactory and "dogged by inadequate planning and poor communication",
PASS: Councillor's leadership had begun to improve under former leader Ian Greenwood. He and chief executive Ian Stewart had given strong
and effective leadership.
Education director Diana Cavanagh has: "the credibility and respect of the department and of most schools, which is a considerable achievement.
SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS
FAIL: The LEA fails to meet its statutory powers duties in two respects. The number of special needs statements produced in the
recommended time is too low at 44 per cent. Secondly, provision for pupils with emotional and behaviour difficulties is inadequate.
Three centres not registered as schools are being used to educate 36 pupils - this represents a misuse of the LEA's powers. Strategic planning
weak and support for schools is inadequate.
PASS: Support for pupils with physical disabilities is effective.
ADMISSIONS
PASS: The LEA has a good record for meeting parental preferences.
ATTENDANCE
FAIL: The education social work service (ESWS) is improving but still providing an unsatisfactory service.
"Some schools visited currently experienced or had very recently experienced poor, or even very poor provision. Upper schools in general are very
critical of the service."
EXCLUDED PUPILS
FAIL: The range of provision for excluded pupils or those at risk support of being excluded is considerable but too little of it is
effective.
CHILDREN IN LOCAL AUTHORITY CARE
FAIL: LEA support for schools to improve these pupils' levels of achievement is unsatisfactory with targets set to low.
PASS: A "strong and purposeful" project has been carried out in conjunction with social services to improve provision for these
children.
ETHNIC MINORITY GROUPS
FAIL: The achievement targets set for Pakistani and Bangladeshi pupils are too low.
Some measures have been taken "very late in the day for a city with such a long history of diverse settlement such as Bradford".
There poor staffing arrangements for ethnic minority pupils in several schools visited. Organisationally it is in a turbulent state.
Only limited support for pupils who have returned from extended stays abroad.
MEASURES TO COMBAT RACISM
FAIL: "The LEA has not made a sufficiently clear educational response to the tendency for different ethnic communities in Bradford to
live separately and use different schools.
It needs to give a stronger, long term strategic lead on the issue.
PASS: A good response to last year's the Macpherson Report, produced following the police handling of the Stephen Lawrence case.
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