We are delighted to share the publication of the interim report from the Bradford School Health Hubs pilot – a project in which EALC is proud to play a backbone role alongside some brilliant partners.
The report, School Health Hubs: Healthcare in a Place You Trust, marks the end of Year 1 of a two-year pilot (2025-2027) funded by NHS Charities Together’s Innovation Challenge Grant, delivered with Better Lives NHS Charity.
What are School Health Hubs?
A School Health Hub brings healthcare into a school. Children, young people, parents and families can access the care they need and find the information they want in a place they already know and trust.
The model is built on a simple but powerful insight: families are more likely to engage with health and wellbeing support when it is offered in a familiar setting, by people who understand their community.
Bradford’s pilot has established two hubs at Dixons Allerton Academy and Oastlers School, each adapting the model to meet the specific needs of their school communities.
What the first year has shown
The pilot has already engaged over 300 people, with 171 accessing the hubs between January and March 2026 alone – more than the entire period from March to December 2025. Across both schools, 238 young people accessed hub interventions between September and March, with 123 of those specifically around girls’ and women’s mental health.
Some of the highlights from Year 1 include:
- Vaccination consent rates at Dixons Allerton Academy rising from 13% to 59% following a simple switch from digital to paper consent forms
- A toothbrushing programme now in place at both schools, with 100% uptake at Dixons Allerton primary (46 children)
- An Emotional Wellbeing Day at Dixons Allerton Academy reaching 117 young people, 12 parents and 14 practitioners, with 20 onward referrals to Mental Health Support Teams
- A Multiple Vulnerabilities Register developed jointly across the school, Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust and Bradford Children and Families Trust
- Youth clubs established at both settings, with a particular focus on girls at risk of social isolation and neurodivergent learners
EALC’s role
As the backbone organisation for this partnership, EALC has supported the collaboration between schools, NHS colleagues, community organisations and research partners, providing the frameworks, data discipline and relational infrastructure that help a multi-agency team work as one.
The partnership also includes the Centre for Applied Education Research (Born in Bradford), West Yorkshire Citizens, Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust and Dixons Academies Trust.
Looking ahead
Year 2 (2026/27) will build on what has been learned, with plans to expand the One Stop Health Shop events, deliver a community budget programme at both schools, and extend the Wellbeing Assessment model. The report also sets out a longer-term vision for scaling the School Health Hub model across Bradford.
Read the report
To find out more or to register an Expression of Interest, visit the School Health Hubs page or contact Kathryn Loftus at ka*****@*********************************rg.uk or Phil Sage at ph**@*********************************rg.uk.