SCHOOLS across the district are starting to show the kind of improvements that London's schools made a decade ago, an independent expert has said.

Heather Flint, the external chairman of a board tasked with driving forward Bradford district’s education standards, said: “It’s not enough, there is work to be done without question, but I think the sights have been set and the direction of travel is absolutely the right one.”

Ms Flint was previously a secondary head teacher in London and an advisor to the London Challenge – a much-lauded programme of investment which ran from 2003 to 2011 and is credited with turning round the capital’s failing schools.

Two years ago, Bradford Council commissioned the London Challenge’s chief advisor, Professor David Woods, to set out an improvement plan for driving up standards here.

In the wake of this, Ms Flint was appointed as the new, independent chairman of the district’s Education Improvement Strategy Board.

In a meeting at City Hall, she gave the council’s executive an update on progress made on Prof Woods’ plan.

Referencing the disparity in funding between London and Bradford’s school improvement projects, she said: “I did work with David Woods in London for five years and I learned a great deal from him and I am seeing the same progress that London enjoyed, but I have to say, in a lot more difficult circumstances.”

She said early-years schooling in particular had seen major improvements.

And she said she would like to see progress of the kind seen at Carlton Bolling College in Bradford replicated across other secondary schools.

Ms Flint said in a “very important step”, the Government’s Regional Schools Commissioner Vicky Beer had joined the board and had gone to its last meeting.

Councillor Imran Khan, executive member for education, said at a time when the way schools were run was changing fast, everyone on the board was committed to working together for the district’s children.

He said: “We all have a responsibility and a commitment to make things better for them.”

Council leader, Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, said she recognised progress had been made but “would like to see faster rates of progress” so the district’s children had the best possible education.

She said: “I am impatient for the improvement to be made faster and deeper, but I welcome the small steps towards improvement we have made so far.”