New Consultation

The last consultation about the priority areas lead to a majority of people supporting merging the two PAs into one. This was ignored by the council.

Since then, the OSA (Office of the Schools Adjudicator) has ruled that the current two PA system does not comply with the Schools Admission Code an is therefore illegal.

As a result the council are doing another consultation. Follow this link for details:

http://www.bradford.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/2919F18A-DE63-4A07-9255-DB2C90BF36C1/0/PriorityAreasforEldwickPrimarySchooloptions.pdf

The deadline for comments is February 2015

Consultation Deadline

The consultation deadline has now past. Thank you for your support. If you wish to be kept informed of the outcome and/or any future action regarding this issue, please email schoolsforgilstead@hotmail.co.uk

Action is Needed Now


For the September 2012 reception intake, there was one space in BD16. All the schools are full except one. In September 2014, there is expected to be a significant increase in the number of new pupils and nowhere to put them. After months of denying there is going to be a problem, Bradford Council have finally decided to consult the public about increasing the number of pupils at Eldwick. This is likely to be rejected by those in the school and people living nearby due to the current parking/traffic issues getting worse.

It is therefore essential that as many people as possible in PA2, i.e. Gilstead, reject the proposed changes to the Priority Areas and support a single PA within the current boundary. If this does not happen your child is unlikely to get a place at Eldwick school if you live in PA2.

Please write to the council to let them know that this is unacceptable and tell them we need a fairer system. Feel free to use the template letter.

Social Issues

The current and proposed admission rules mean that Eldwick School takes children from further away who will inevitably be driven to school and those who live a short walk away are turned down and have to be driven to Bingley.

Illegal parking around the school and on Swan Avenue is causing serious problems at the moment as it is hard for drivers and pedestrians to see each other. The entrance to Swan Avenue is particularly dangerous as it is frequently blocked where children have to cross over. This prevents larger vehicles such as fire engines and ambulances getting passed at all. The council and the police do not seem interested in doing anything about this.

Health and fitness are very important for physical development. Walking to school should be actively encouraged not prevented as it is now.

The Proposed Changes

The following map shows the proposed changes:


The red line show the current borders.
The blue and black lines show the proposed borders.

If you live in the green shaded area you will be moved from PA1 to PA2. This includes the newest part of the Swan Avenue estate.

If you live in the purple shaded area, you will be moved out of the Priority area altogether. This includes Gilstead lane and The Pendle estate.