Our Trust leaders and Headteachers wore their odd socks to support anti-bullying last week. Bullying has no place in society or in our schools, and when it occurs in our schools it is dealt with swiftly. Every individual is unique, and it is those differences which should be shared, celebrated and respected in life. The culture of a school flows directly from its leadership and it is up to us to model the behaviour we expect from every individual in our learning communities. Schools are places where children learn, thrive and achieve, and where children grow in confidence and self-esteem. Our schools achieve excellent educational outcomes, and are also about children learning to be the best version of themselves as they Believe, Achieve and Succeed. In all of our schools we follow the Batley Way. This is all about treating every individual with respect, and treating others and you would wish to be treated yourself. We respect each other, look after each other and care about each other. Every school is a great place for children to learn, and adults to work.    Last week we had a real focus on anti-bullying across our Trust family of schools to raise awareness of the types of bullying, the impact it can have, and how to stop it. We have some fabulous initiatives in place, all based on an ethos of respect.   Respect is at the heart of everything we do and our 3 basic principles in every school are:   Respect Self Respect Environment Respect Community   Our schools have Learner Leadership Teams, Anti-Bullying Champions and Ambassadors, Listeners, Wellbeing Wizards and so much more. We champion anti-bullying through everything we do each and every day. Bullying has no place in our schools, instead it is a culture of respect and celebrating difference for we are all unique in our own special ways. As a great woman once said, 'we have far more in common than that which divides us.' 

Last Thursday we were delighted to host international guests at one of our Trust schools. Upper Batley High School (UBHS) hosted a delegation from India and visitors heard all about the great work being undertaken at UBHS to develop curriculum, embed high-quality pedagogy and practice, and all of the great learning activities that take place each and every day to make UBHS such a high-achieving boys' school in every area. Visitors enjoyed a tour of the school to meet the learners and the staff, and see great learning in action in the classrooms.    Mrs Dent was the mastermind of the visit. She has worked hard over recent years to build strong connections with schools in India. In year 1, a group of learners accompanied her to teach in schools for children with visual and hearing impairments, she then returned to India last academic year to train teachers and deliver more engaging science and STEM activities and she visits India again next week for further work with staff and young people in schools.   In the afternoon we were then delighted that Baroness Jan Royall could join the delegation. She spoke particularly to our young people and Mr Sherrard, our fantastic careers leader. Baroness Royall asked learners about why education matters to them and what makes Batley a great place to learn. We thank our visitors for spending the day with us here in Batley. Batley = Brilliance in education.