Park Road Junior Infant and Nursery School

1876: Park Road School opened. It was built at a cost of £11,500 including all furnishings.  There were 3 schools under the same roof with 3 different Headteachers; the infant school, and for children of 7 years and more the boy's school and the girl's school.

1930s: The Headteacher's House was taken into general school use and the caretakers house next to the front playground on Bradford Road ceased to be used.

1940s: The Junior & Infant school was established under Miss A. E. Robinson.  The senior boy's school (11+) remained at Park Road as Bankfield Boy's.  The senior girls were transferred to Purlwell.

1959: Bankfield moved to Batley Boy's High.  Park Road Junior & Infant School became the sole occupants of the site under the one headteacher.

1960s: Some inside toilets were installed and there was partial refurbishment of floors and doors.

1965: The Junior Immigrant Centre was established.  Children for whom English was a second language attended this centre from all the junior schools in the Borough until a minimum reading age in the English Language of 8 years was achieved.  The average length of stay for each child was approximately 3-4 terms.

1970s: The school field was aquired when West Riding County Council agreed to purchase, clear and level a slum clearance site opposite the school.  The Immigrant Centre closed and further refurbishment took place; more inside toilets, lowered ceilings and new furniture.

1980s: Park Road Nursery was established at the school.

1981: A unit for partial hearing children was established at the school.  This became the resource base for children with hearing impairment.

1993-1994: Total refurbishment of Park Road School by Kirklees Council at a cost of £1,000,000.  While the children and staff were moved up to work in the Field Hill Centre the school was completely gutted and rebuilt to the attractive design and standards that the school has today. 

An arrangement with Batley City Challenge allowed them to build the Educare Centre on the the old school field as a direct swap for them paying for the demolition of the old chapel and the landscaping of the remaining land.  This provided a field adjacent to the school site so the children didn't have to cross the busy road, and gave off road parking facilities for staff and visitors.