The absence of any improvement in the results for 11-year-olds in Bradford's schools is very disappointing. Given the emphasis which has been placed on bettering the performance of all the district's schools since the Council brought in Education Bradford as its private partner, it could reasonably have been expected that the Key Stage 2 tests taken by primary pupils in May would have produced more encouraging results.

However, they remain exactly the same as last year, leaving Bradford at 16th from the bottom of the league table in English, 13th from the bottom in Maths and fifth from the bottom in Science. The only consolation to be had from this situation is that at least things have not become worse since last year.

Councillor David Ward, executive member for education, is right to say that a review is required to find out what needs to be improved and make it happen. It cannot be stressed too often how important education is to Bradford and its schools pupils.

This is not just a matter of positions in league tables. Behind the statistics, poor results like these translate into unfulfilled potential for many children, disappointment for families who have high hopes for their younger generation, and an under-educated workforce for companies to recruit their staffs from locally.

It is vital for individuals, their communities and indeed for all of Bradford that the reasons for this failure to move ahead are identified quickly and tackled with vigour and determination so that next year's results are able to paint a more hopeful picture.