The schools system in Bradford seems beset with problems, though not necessarily of its own making. The latest hurdle confronting those responsible for education policy-making in the district is pressure from the Government to drastically reduce the number of surplus schools places.

The chairman of the Education Policy Partnership revealed last night that the Bradford average surplus has been cut from more than 12 per cent to eight per cent - well on the way to the target of five per cent set by the Department for Education and Skills. However, the department has now moved the goal posts and declared that it no longer believes a surplus is necessary.

Despite that, the EPP remains determined to hit that more realistic five per cent target and is looking at a combination of reducing some schools in size and closing others entirely.

This news is bound to cause anxiety among schools staff, parents and pupils alike, given last year's debacle over plans to close a number of primary schools following reorganisation to the two-tier system. The flawed consultation process led to a lot of worry and heart-ache and ultimately to backtracking.

Bradford clearly cannot afford to support hundreds of spare places in half-empty classrooms. The revelation that there are 1,400 surplus places in Shipley and North Bradford alone gives some idea of the scale of the problem.

However, every care must be taken to avoid a repeat of last year's fiasco. Hopefully vital lessons will have been learned from that and this time the consultation process will be conducted thoroughly and wisely to keep distress and disappointment to a minimum.