Leading middle school heads today urged Bradford Council to throw out plans to establish a two-tier education system.

Under the education authority's recommendations, the council would axe middle schools and create a system of primary and secondary schools.

But today middle school heads vowed to carry on the fight, warning that the upheaval will have a devastating impact on Bradford's children.

They have begun the process of lobbying councillors in a last ditch bid to turn over the proposals, which will need the approval of Bradford Council next Tuesday.

Geoff Ensor, secretary of Bradford Middle Schools' Association, said: "We urge all councillors to reject the recommendations - they are only the opinion of officers.

"We stand by our determination and commitment to achieving high standards and we believe the youngsters of Bradford are best served by being able to remain in a comfortable and purposeful environment in the middle years."

But education committee chairman Jim Flood said: "Anybody who wishes to challenge the officers' recommendations will have to be very sure of their ground.

"A five-officer team has been working on this for six months and consulted 20,000 parents and other interest groups and the weight of evidence and the majority view point in the same direction.

"The final report should be treated with respect, it is not the case of who shouts loudest. But I do respect the feelings of the people who have spent many years dedicated to the three-tier system. They have given their all and offered children a good education. But we shouldn't let the good be the enemy of the better."

Middle school heads were highly critical of the review, arguing that no conclusive evidence had been produced, nor had they seen any cost benefit analysis, to support a two-tier system.

The final review report, however, concluded that Bradford's three-tier system of first, middle and upper schools was now out of step with the National Curriculum, the Government and 90 per cent of the rest of the country.

Chris Milone, the convenor of middle schools, said: "We will be looking at lobbying tactics, we are certainly not giving up and we will be mounting a delegation to the council next Tuesday."

Brendan Grant, head at Thorpe Middle, which produces some of the highest achieving 11-year-olds in Bradford, pledged: "We will still be lobbying councillors not to accept the proposals right to the bitter end.

"We still hope to influence the decision next week and hope councillors will rethink before they come to that decision."

But there was also widespread pessimism among heads that the recommendations already have the tacit approval of the controlling Labour group on the council.

Ian Murch, secretary of the National Union of Teachers in Bradford, said he feared a backlash from the disruption caused by the changes.

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