AN independent expert says radical measures are needed to improve education in Bradford.

Respected academic Professor David Woods says the system needs "significant changes if the brutal facts of underperformance are to be confronted".

Bradford Council has accepted his findings in full and has pledged to make changes.

The Council paid Prof Woods nearly £3,000 to conduct a two-day investigation into its attempts to raise standards in the district's schools.

He has written a report on his findings, which the authority has refused to release to the press in full.

However, a five-page summary has been made public, along with his 17 recommendations.

According to this summary, Prof Woods said the collective performance of the district's schools this year was "extremely disappointing", with "unacceptable inequalities of performance across schools".

His recommendations include finding an independent figure to chair the district's Education Improvement Strategic Board, to replace the current chairman, Council leader David Green.

Prof Woods also expresses concern with the "pace of action" at various education improvement bodies, saying meetings need to result in "immediate actions".

He also wants the district's School Improvement Group to work more closely with schools watchdog Ofsted and the Department for Education to help drive up standards.

But Prof Woods backs a bid by the authority to ensure all schools are good or outstanding by 2017, saying this strategy "contains the right priorities".

The membership of the Education Improvement Strategic Board will be reconsidered in the new year, Bradford Council has said.

A host of other changes are also in the pipeline.

Councillor Ralph Berry (Lab), executive member for children's services, welcomed the "far-reaching and trenchant review" and said it had been good value for money.

He said: "We have got the right structures in place, but they have got to have bite and urgency.

"Our job, as the authority, is to push that bite and urgency in all schools, irrespective of whether they are academies or whatever, and get on with that."

Councillor Debbie Davies, the Conservative spokesman for education, said she was frustrated at the lack of progress over the past few years and welcomed Prof Woods' report.

She said: "It seems to me that they either know what to do, and haven't done it, or just don't know what to do and are floundering.

"If it takes an independent person to get things moving a bit better, than that's a good thing."

Councillor Jeanette Sunderland, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said she too had requested to see the full report, and this had been denied.

She said: "What have they got to hide? The summary is quite damning and if that is the edited highlights, then what is in the content of the report?"

The findings come amid great concern over school standards in Bradford.

On Wednesday, a damning Ofsted report showed Bradford schools were among the worst in the country.

Then on Thursday, primary school league tables showed Bradford's results continued to be among the country's worst.

Michael Jameson, Strategic Director of Children's Services, said: "Bringing in an independent expert to take an objective look at our work was the sensible thing to do.

"Our district's schools, families and young people will be reassured by the fact that the measures we are taking are based on best practice.

"Because there is no doubt that we have extremely hardworking teachers and education staff but this report will help us to focus those efforts and speed up the improvements."

He said their focus in the coming weeks and months would be implementing Prof Woods' recommendations "as part of our unstinting effort to deliver a major and sustainable increase in standards for our young people".