DESPITE the change in political leadership at City Hall, it seems that Bradford Council is determined to press ahead with the proposed privatisation or semi-privatisation of education in the district.

Internationally renowned firm Pricewater-houseCoopers has been recruited to design a model for Bradford Council to work with external partners to drive up education

standards in the beleaguered service.

The company will report back within three weeks with its recommendations. The move follows a highly critical report into the district's education provision.

All this puts Ilkley in a quandary.

At a time of great uncertainty over the re-organisation from a three to a two-tier education system - yet more

planning applications for temporary classrooms and

building work have been submitted this week - further

disruption looks likely.

The upheavals radically illustrate the difference between Ilkley and much of the rest of Bradford.

Due to the expertise and commitment of parents,

governors, teaching staff and the pupils themselves, the

picture in Ilkley is dramatically different that the one painted in the highly critical Ofsted report of the district.

But massive changes in the offing, particularly over

budgets and staff conditions of service, can do nothing but undermine the good work that has been going on for

years.

There can be no-one in the town who does not support the attempts to improve education in the district as a whole, but many must fearful of the increased uncertainty for those involved.

Let us hope that the period of upheaval does not continue long enough to undermine the high standards that have already been achieved in the Wharfe Valley.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.