Thirty years after his death, Bradford born writer J B Priestley and his literary classics are still leaving a huge impact on Bradford’s young scholars.

This year – which sees the 120th anniversary of the birth of the influential writer, and the 30th anniversary of his death – he is the subject of projects by two different schools, both of which hope to inspire a new generation of Priestly fans.

Born in Manningham in 1894, John Boynton Priestley went on to write classics such as An Inspector Calls and The Good Companions. A former pupil of Belle Vue School, he was praised for his highly-moral books and plays, which often touched on political issues of the time. He was granted freedom of the city in 1973, and is remembered with a statue outside the National Media Museum.

His popularity is highlighted by the fact that his works are still regularly taught in schools and make up a major part of school curriculums.

One school that is learning about Priestley this year is Bradford Christian School, on Livingstone Road where pupils are studying An Inspector Calls for GCSE. But rather than just limit their studies to the classroom, they have been out and about in historic Bradford venues to bring their studies to life.

The play, first performed in 1945, revolves around a titular inspector who interrupts a well-to-do family’s meal to interrogate them about a young woman’s suicide.

Although set in the fictional town of Brumley, many experts believe Priestley modelled the location on Bradford.

To get a true feel of the play, Year 9 pupils held read-throughs in unique locations including a period reception room the Great Victoria Hotel and a former mill building in Little Germany.

And recently-retired staff member Bill Scully made an appearance as the imposing inspector, interrupting a dinner the pupils were enjoying, like in the play.

Teacher Phill Moon said: “We’ve had 27 children take part over three sessions. This is the first time they have read through the play. They have been researching 1912, so they understand the time and historic background the play was set.

“We chose to study this play because it is a major text with an obvious link to Bradford. It has a good strong message that is still relevant today.

“It has been really well received by the students so far. It has created a real buzz around their studies.

“I have taught this text about five or six times, but I thought this time we would do something different with it.”

Early next month, students at Bradford Grammar School will perform the lost Priestley classic Johnson Over Jordan – the first time the play has been performed anywhere in the world since 2011, and its first performance in Priestley’s home city since 1947.

It is also the first time the play has ever been performed with its original score, by Benjamin Britten.

It is the 75th anniversary of the play, and when performed at the school, the audience will include Priestley’s son Tom, travelling up from London specially for the performance, and stepson Nicolas Hawkes.

It will mark only the second time Tom Priestley has seen the play, which tells the story of a meek businessman making his way through purgatory following his death.

The last performance was in 2001 at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, with Mirfield actor and Star Trek The Next Generation star Patrick Stewart in the lead role.

Lee Hanson, English teacher at the school and chairman of the J B Priestly Society, said: “We are delighted to bring this epic and extraordinary play out from the shadows. This is a very rare opportunity to see it. It will hopefully be a deeply felt experience.”

Although many critics have hailed the play’s experimental nature, it received mixed reviews and cost so much to stage – with a cast of 38 and orchestra – that it proved a failure. Since it closed it has been performed only ten times.

Mr Moon said: “It is a wonderful play that is very much about the human condition. It is a great piece of entertainment. The fact that it is so experimental makes it difficult to stage – not very many dramatic societies have the space.

“When it first ran they just couldn’t balance the books.

“I’m delighted Tom is coming up to see it. I believe that he has only seen it once in his lifetime. This is a rare chance for people to see this play performed.”

The cast, made up of pupils aged 14 to 18, will perform the play at the school from February 5 to 7.