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Education chiefs and councillors today stood accused of miserably failing Bradford children by the Government's Chief Inspector of Schools.
The damning conclusion was reached following a review of Bradford Local Education Authority by inspectors from the Office for Standards in Education
(Ofsted).
The inspectors have listed an astonishing catalogue of failure and given the Council's education chiefs a massive vote of no confidence.
Councillor Margaret Eaton, the newly-elected Tory leader of the Council, immediately announced that a steering team of councillors would be set up to
monitor progress on the crisis.
Issues raised in the Ofsted inspection include poor leadership and management - both political and professional, under-funding of schools and a
"destructive belief that low standards are inevitable".
Today Chris Woodhead, the Chief Inspector of Schools said: "This report is an indictment of Bradford local education authority (LEA), which does not do
enough to avoid using social disadvantage as an excuse for low standards of expectation, and is failing its children miserably.
"Bradford's schools deserve first class support from their LEA and firm action now needs to be taken to ensure that this entitlement is
delivered."
Some form of partnership arrangement with a private company, already on the cards, now appears inevitable with the Council's new executive member for
education Liberal Democrat Councillor David Ward now reluctantly conceding that it is the best way forward despite his previous opposition to it.
In their report, Mr Woodhead's inspectors write: "Most worryingly, few people in the education department have any clear grasp of the seriousness of
the situation. The LEA is not assisting its schools to raise standards.
"We do not believe it has the capability at this time to do so, or to address the many issues raised in this report."
Of the functions of the authority that the inspectors looked at only five were judged to have been performed well and 16 were judged to have been
performed inadequately which crucially included:
funding of schools
support for school management
provision for pupils with special educational needs
support for ethnic minority pupils
support for children in care
measures to combat racism.
The report appears to leave Bradford Council's new leadership with very little room for manoeuvre. Senior Council sources say they believe that the
Department for Education and Employment would be happy for the authority to proceed with the partnership proposals that have already been made.
But if the politicians decide to reject it, the likelihood is that the Government will ask a firm of private consultants to make a recommendation.
In the light of the report and experiences at other authorities such as Islington this would probably mean a large-scale removal of education
responsibilities from the Council than under its partnership proposals.
Today, education director, Diana Cavanagh said: "I want to assure parents and pupils that they can continue to have confidence in their schools.
"The Ofsted report is not about schools, it is purely about the LEA and the quality of services we provide."
The inspectors do praise Council chief executive Ian Stewart and former leader Councillor Ian Greenwood (Lab) for realising that drastic measures were
necessary, coming up with an outline partnership plan and making education the Council's highest priority.
But they also describe a "poverty of aspirations" both in the schools and in the LEA. The Council had a history of political decision-making that had
reflected departmental interests and been "competitive rather than collaborative".
Inspectors said the major reason for the failure was: "Poor leadership, political and professional, across the whole local authority over many years."
Mrs Cavanagh said: "Areas that I can be responsible for I accept responsibility for. I can't accept responsibility for areas that are a matter of
policy for the Council."
She said the under-funding had had major consequences. "The quality of the schools isn't what it should be and it undermines the relationship between
the schools and the Council and that undermines things right across the line."
Bradford Council chief executive, Ian Stewart said the authority fully accepted the report and its recommendations for improvement.
He said: "The determination to change is there but we now need to look at the best way of delivering that change successfully."
Education authority staff and head teachers and governors from all the district's schools and union officials were being briefed on the report in
series of meetings taking place today.
Mrs Cavanagh said of her staff: "They are very hardworking and committed. People will be angry, people will be grief stricken and they will feel
all the emotions you can imagine."
The Council's steering team will be made up of leading members who will meet regularly and study reports from officers and the consultants.
Newly-elected Council leader Councillor Margaret Eaton said: "We also want to see what can be done and what is being done in the short term. We want to
keep our fingers on the pulse in this very serious situation."
A new education scrutiny committee being set up would include faith groups and teachers. "Education has never been scrutinised properly in the past and
there has never been adequate reports to councillors about what is happening," she said.
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