Galloway hits out over Bradford’s GCSE grades

Respect MP George Galloway has also criticised Bradford Council’s new education strategy which he says will “help not one jot.”

Speaking in Parliament he said: “New Labour in Bradford has achieved the seemingly impossible by presiding over secondary schools in the city that are even worse than they were when the Conservatives ran them. In the youngest city in England, we are the eighth worst in the country – eighth out of 150.

“What special measures can the Government take these schools into to save the youngest city in England from the perdition of ignorance?”

Mr Gove offered to meet the Bradford West MP to discuss the issue.

Last week Bradford Council launched a new education strategy to raise standards – particularly in the core subjects of English and maths.

This includes ensuring every pupil goes to a school which is good or better and focusing on reducing the impact that poverty has on children’s performance in schools.

However Mr Galloway has criticised the plan. He said: “If Bradford Council has a new education strategy, as they claim to have, then they’d do well to spell it out in plain English rather than PR speak about, tighter focus, better outcomes and governance arrangements, In simple language education standards at senior pupil level in Bradford are a disgrace.”

Coun Ralph Berry, Bradford Council’s executive member for education said the strategy set clear targets and had been developed through consultation with head teachers, governors and other education providers.

He added that the council had been in control of the education improvement agenda for less than 11 months – having recently been allowed to take services back in house.

For the past 10 years it has been the responsibility of Education Bradford – a private firm set up by Serco which was given a 10-year contract in 2001 to run the city’s education authority after the council was given a damning Ofsted inspection.

The latest GCSE league tables from last year’s exams showed Bradford secondary schools were among the bottom 10 performers in the country out of 150 education authorities – based on the number of students achieving the benchmark of five good grades, including English and maths.