As the Telegraph & Argus has previously said, Education Secretary Michael Gove’s recent comments on the standard of education in Bradford – he described it as “appalling” – are at best unhelpful and at worst risk demoralising the district’s schools, teachers and pupils even further.

That is not to say there are not issues in Bradford and plenty of room for improvement.

But it is positive help that is needed, not just a slapping down from Mr Gove. So it is most welcome to see direct action being taken to improve matters with the suggestion of a partnership approach between 15 education authorities in the region, including Bradford.

This is an eminently sensible decision as it will allow authorities to share not only best practice but also resources and ideas. A similar project has worked well in London and there is no reason why it should not work here.

The T&A recently launched its Schools Awards, and we have been highlighting some examples of nominations which have been rolling in over the past few weeks.

The fantastic work being done by teachers, pupils, governors, parents and support staff show just how far from the reality of everyday life in Bradford schools that Mr Gove’s comments were.

League table placings are far from the whole story, and while the bigger picture may be a gloomy one, there are fantastic examples of brilliant work being done at all levels in our schools and colleges.

If the work of those excellent examples could be adopted by other schools who are perhaps not doing as well, and if similar projects and initiatives could be imported from other areas of the region, then Bradford might well start the road to education recovery.