A BRADFORD primary school is to join an academy trust, it has been announced.

St Matthew’s CE Primary, on Ivy House Road in West Bowling, is set to become the 21st school to join the Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust (BDAT).

BDAT, which was set up to support and sponsor Church of England and non-Church of England Academies in Bradford on behalf of the Diocese of Leeds, currently consists of 15 primaries and five secondary schools.

A new headteacher, Linda Hillier, has been appointed and took on the role in July.

New headteacher Linda HillierNew headteacher Linda Hillier (Image: BDAT)
Ms Hillier has led schools across the UK including in Blackpool and Greater London.

She will join existing deputy headteacher Shabnam Iqbal "to lead a school team dedicated and driven to provide great quality education across south Bradford," said BDAT. 

It comes after a Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools judgement in June 2024 praised “the rapid development of this harmonious and happy school”.

BDAT said it, and the school, have already consulted and received positive endorsement for the match from parents and community members.

The school will now continue the conversion process throughout the autumn term, with an anticipated final conversion date of spring 2025.

Carol Dewhurst, CEO of BDAT, said “We are delighted to have the final Department for Education approval to welcome St Matthew’s into our school’s family.

"Trust and school leaders and governors have worked closely together over the past twelve months and have already witnessed first-hand the benefits of our partnership working.

"We look forward to this continuing and building momentum to make sure our students get the very best experience during their time in school."

Ms Hillier added: “We are delighted to be joining Bradford Diocese Academies Trust. St Matthew’s is a school with a commitment to achieving the best for its pupils and the school community and we believe that BDAT’s values match ours.

"We very much appreciate BDAT’s commitment to working collaboratively and to putting the children at the heart of everything we do and are excited for the next steps in the school’s journey.”

Ros Garside, chair of governors at St Matthew's, said: "As chair of governors at St Matthew's, I know that all governors are delighted that we are joining BDAT.

"We feel that our values align really well and that BDAT will be an excellent partner for supporting the next phase of our school's development."