Consultants looking at Bradford education following its damning Ofsted report have produced their final report recommending the formation of an interim schools management board.

Pricewaterhouse Cooper's (PWC) final report includes draft documents outlining exactly what a private company will have responsibility for when it takes over the majority of services provided by the local education authority.

And on Tuesday councillors will be asked to approve plans to invite bids from interested companies as early as next month. But the successful firm will still not take over until April and in the meantime the interim schools board will be expected to focus on: Management and support for education; The action plan prepared by the LEA in response to the Ofsted report; The Bradford schools shake-up; and Training and development in preparation for changes.

Deputy Council leader, Councillor Richard Wightman (Con) said: "We are pleased with the speed at which PWC have produced the second stage of their report and share their view that the recommended changes should be made as soon as possible if we are not to lose the momentum.

"The Council has already accepted that it will have to work with an external partner to deliver education services to schools but we are aware that this will have a major impact on the whole organisation.

"We will therefore be asking the Chief Executive (Ian Stewart) to carry out a detailed review of how these changes can be implemented successfully.

"We owe it to the pupils and parents to provide the highest possible standard of education and the best way of delivering this is to have a strategic partner in place as soon as possible."

The biggest recommendation made by the consultants came in an interim report three weeks into their contract when they said that a private company should take over strategic management and most LEA services.

The report said that most LEA staff should have their contracts transferred to this company. The remaining five weeks of PWC have been spent fleshing out these proposals.

A steering group containing teaching, council and Government representatives will spend the next few weeks fine tuning this work.

Councillor Jeanette Sunderland (Lib-Dem), the only councillor on the group, said: "It is imperative that the required changes are made as soon as possible and the Council will be doing all it can to ensure that the initial bidding process can begin as soon as possible.