By ANISAH ARIF
The latest Ofsted report reveals that there has been an 11 per cent increase in the number of Good or Oustanding secondary schools in the Bradford district since August 2017.
This has outperformed every other local authority in Yorkshire & the Humber.
This major improvement has lifted Bradford ahead of Doncaster and Barnsley in the tables for Yorkshire.
More than half of Bradford secondary schools are now Good or Oustanding, although the figure is still below the Yorkshire and national averages, it shows significant and positive signs of improvement.
Early years sector in the region has also been performing well, with with 94 per cent of childminders and 95 per cent of nurseries or pre-schools in Yorkshire and the Humber being rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted.
Cathy Kirby, Ofsted director for Yorkshire and the Humber, said “At secondary school level, the percentage of schools that are good or better dropped to 68 per cent, which is well below national average.
“While there is still much to do, Bradford has seen a high rate of improvement compared to last year.
“I am pleased to be able to report that early years provision in the region continues to give our youngest children the best start in life, with 94 per cent of childminders and 95 per cent of nurseries and pre-schools rated good or outstanding.”
In addition to this positivity, is the exclusion rate per pupil in Bradford secondary schools is below the national average.
In Bradford the rate of fixed period exclusions per pupil enrolments at secondary schools is 7.36 per cent, below the national average of 9.4 per cent, and way below the Yorkshire and the Humber average of almost 16 per cent.
Bradford is, however, one of just three local authorities in Yorkshire and the Humber not to experience a drop in the number of Good or Outstanding primary schools.
Bradford also remains below the national average in children reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths by the end of Key Stage 2.
Councillor Imran Khan, portfolio holder for education, employment and skills, said: “It’s very good news that the number of Good or Outstanding secondary schools in our district has gone up by 11 per cent.
“This is the result of a lot of hard work from school leaders, teachers and the pupils themselves. We know there is more to do and we’re determined that we close the gap on the national average in all areas.
“We need everyone to work together to help schools achieve this: businesses, community groups, parents and young people all have a role to play.”