Schools are continuing to become more successful since Bradford Council regained control of the Education Service with four out of five primary pupils going to schools rated good or better by Ofsted, it has been revealed.

Councillor Ralph Berry, the Council’s executive member for children and young people’s services, said that in August last year, the figure for primary schools was 64.7 per cent which demonstrated how much the authority had moved education on.

In the past six months, the number of children attending secondary schools rated good to better went from 27.8 per cent to 47.5 per cent.

It comes nearly two years after the Council resumed full control of the Education Service, which had been taken away in 2001 when the Council was ordered by the Government to out-source its school support function.

The outcome was a decade-long contract with Serco, which set up Education Bradford in a deal worth £360 million.

Coun Berry singled out Immanuel College in Thackley, and Bradford Academy, in West Bowling, for praise.

“A significant number of primary schools have improved and this is clearly in my view because a mechanism has been put in place such as the High Schools Partnership,” he said. “We have moved forward very considerably.

“It is about working with the local authority which has forced improvements and the support work that has happened with our intervention.

“I think Bradford should be proud as we are delivering the change in Bradford and everybody has now partnered together.”

Ian Murch, Bradford assistant branch secretary of the NUT, said: “Serco was only ever interested in targets that Government set it. It didn’t work with the Council and now there is co-operative working which is much better between schools who put themselves into groups.

“There is a lot more genuine consultation and an attempt at partnership then there was before when someone outside was being paid to deliver it as a contract.”