THE school tables we carry today tell the same old story. Our schools are, overall, performing below the national average, and again will come the counter argument that schools are underfunded and need money to raise the standards.

Staff and, indeed, pupils are clearly committed to making improvements, but it is only too clear that something is still going wrong.

Being ranked below much of the rest of the country is no place to be and we must not remain in this position every time a set of tables is announced and an Ofsted report published.

Such a situation would be an insult to one of the most dynamic towns in Britain. Something is amiss with the system, and while dramatic changes have been implemented, these are clearly not enough.

We have seen Tribal engaged from outside to oversee education in the borough, following earlier poor performance. But Tribal's time at the helm, notwithstanding a slightly withdrawn role as of last November, has obviously not brought the results we need. Let us not forget that Tribal was parachuted in at the behest of Ofsted at the behest, in effect, of the Government.

They said they could do things better. We continue to await the proof with eagerness.