Heads plead for greater autonomy

BRADFORD headteachers believe the district's schools need to be given "significant autonomy" in commissioning services for their pupils once education becomes council controlled again next year.
By The Newsroom
Published 7th Apr 2010, 00:49 BST
Updated 7th Apr 2010, 00:49 BST

The local education authority has been run by a private company on a 10-year contract since 2001 after Ofsted found Bradford Council to be failing.

The 360m deal with Education Bradford, a firm operated by Serco, comes to an end next year and now the council is preparing to take services back in house.

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A new report to the council's Young People and Education Improvement committee, which sits next week, outlines how the authority plans to regain control of education services.

It includes a joint letter from almost every headteacher in Bradford which says that while some services should be provided at a district-wide level individual schools must be given freedom to bring in their own support to meet the needs of their pupils.

Last year Bradford Council's three main political party leaders announced their intention to take education services back in house after control was handed over to the private sector in 2000 after a damning Ofsted inspection.

Related topics:BradfordOfstedBradford CouncilSerco