Scroll to content
Batley Multi Academy Trust home page

Welcome to

Batley Multi Academy Trust

The Trust at the heart of the Batley community

Meet our Headteachers


Kate Ellis-Holmes

Manorfield Infant and Nursery School

Kate has a genuine passion for education and for the powerful difference a great school can make to the lives and futures of children. She feels incredibly proud to be the Headteacher of Manorfield Infant and Nursery School and is committed to the children, families and wider community of Batley.

 

Kate began her teaching career in Bradford, working in schools serving highly disadvantaged communities. From the very start, she understood that relationships sit at the heart of everything, building trust with learners, working closely with parents/carers, and creating an environment where children feel safe, valued and excited to learn.

 

Alongside her teaching career, Kate holds a degree in Fine Art and has led creative art workshops in primary schools. She is a strong advocate for the arts and creativity, believing they should be woven through school life and play a vital role in developing confidence, curiosity and a strong sense of identity in young children.

 

Throughout her career, Kate has held a range of leadership roles across curriculum and senior leadership. She now leads Manorfield with energy, warmth and ambition, with a clear focus on inclusion, strong early learning foundations and high expectations for every child, no matter their background or starting point.

 

Above all, Kate is driven by her belief that childhood should be full of possibility. Her aspiration is for every child at Manorfield to grow into a confident, resilient and kind individual, well prepared for the next stage of their education and for life beyond the classroom.​​​​​​

 

Aman Singh Kang

Upper Batley High School

Aman joined Upper Batley High School in 2014 as an Assistant Headteacher. He became Deputy Headteacher in 2015, Head of School in 2020 and Headteacher in September 2022. Aman gained his NPQH Ambition Leadership accreditation in 2020.

 

Prior to joining our family of schools, Aman held leadership roles for 16 years and supported schools throughout Kirklees with leadership development; helping to raise quality standards across departments as well as aiding the professional development of colleagues. 

 

Aman firmly believes that all young people should be given the opportunity to reach their full potential, regardless of their background, and is passionate about creating a culture to enable self-development and pride. 

 

Aman’s ethos is that hard work coupled with a growth mindset empowers each and every person to be successful in life, thus removing any barriers to success, and he is testament to those principles.

 

Gary Kibble

Batley Girls' High School

Gary became the Headteacher at Batley Girls’ High School in September 2023, having previously been the Headteacher at Batley Grammar School (a through-school in our Trust). Prior to this, Gary taught in a large 11-18 comprehensive school in Leeds before taking up the initial post of Deputy Head at Batley Grammar School and progressing to Headteacher. 

 

Gary’s subject specialism is Economics and Business Studies. Throughout his teaching career, he has also taught Law to 14-18 year olds.

 

Gary is keen to ensure that all young people grasp the opportunities available to them, that school and education can provide, so that they can become positive successful role models in our community.​​​​​​

 

Luisa Lang

Healey Junior, Infant and Nursery School

Luisa began her journey at Healey School in January 2017, as the Interim Headteacher and secured the substantive Headship in June 2017. Before this, Luisa had been the long standing Deputy Headteacher at Dalton School in Huddersfield, and had experienced being an Acting Headteacher and a school improvement partner for local schools.

From her earliest memories, Luisa has always wanted to be a teacher and has followed in the footsteps of family members. Luisa started her teaching career in Brighouse, where she taught across the primary phase and in Year 6 for many years. Having led curriculum development, Luisa particularly enjoyed leading Science, IT and PSHE. In 2006, she relished the challenge of moving to a much larger school in a challenging area where she soon became the Deputy Headteacher.

Luisa is devoted to education and enabling young people and staff to be the best they can be, regardless of their background or starting point. Inspiring others and making a positive difference to people’s lives are what motivates Luisa in her role.

 

Matthew Leach

Hyrstmount Junior School

Matthew is an excellent leader who has substantial school leadership experience spanning over 20 years. He has taught across the primary age ranges and has led countless school improvement initiatives, thriving on the challenge of improving learner outcomes, raising aspirations and making a difference to children’s overall life chances. Matthew firmly believes in promoting learners’ personal development through the curriculum and in the importance of fostering a ‘can-do’ attitude and positive growth mindset amongst learners. 

 

Prior to Matthew’s Headship position at Hyrstmount Junior School, he has held two different Deputy Headteacher posts and he is highly skilled and experienced. 

 

Having worked in the Batley community for most of his career, Matthew has an affinity with the area and is fully invested in ensuring that the young people of Batley are afforded the opportunities a great education can provide.​​​​​

 

Asif Lorgat 

Field Lane Junior, Infant and Nursery School

Asif is the Headteacher at Field Lane Junior, Infant & Nursery School where he has dedicated 18 years of his career, including a decade as Deputy Head. Asif is Batley "through-and-through" and is deeply rooted in the local community, having attended Upper Batley High School and Batley Parish during his younger years. His deep connection to the area informs his mission to make a tangible difference and leave a lasting legacy for future generations.

Throughout his tenure at Field Lane, Asif has held various leadership roles, including Maths Lead, Computing Lead, ECT Mentor, and crucially, Designated Safeguarding Lead. His expertise in safeguarding was further recognised at Trust level, where he served as the Trust Strategic Safeguarding Leader, leading reviews and further embedding safeguarding excellence across its family of schools.

Beyond his professional life, Asif is an avid reader of leadership books, with favourites like, 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People' and 'Start With Why', shaping his leadership approach. A lifelong Manchester United fan, Asif believes in standing by his team "even when things are difficult," a personal philosophy that perfectly mirrors his commitment and resilience in his professional life.

 

Ryan White

Head of Primary Phase - Batley Grammar School

Ryan is the Head of Primary Phase at Batley Grammar School. Ryan is a highly successful teacher and leader. Throughout his career Ryan has shown a steadfast commitment to ensuring young people achieve their best and are well prepared for the next stage of their education journey.

 

Prior to joining Batley Multi Academy Trust, Ryan has worked in schools across Dewsbury and Batley developing engaging curricula and improving writing outcomes. Ryan has also worked on a wide range of curriculum enrichment activities such as youth groups, sports clubs and community organisations in South and West Yorkshire to provide learning and leadership opportunities for young people beyond the classroom. 

 

Ryan believes by focussing on holistic development all young people, regardless of their background or starting point, will grow into successful and inspirational members of our local, national and international community.

 

Sue Gallivan

Head of School - Purlwell Infant and Nursery School

Sue has been a member of the Purlwell Infant and Nursery School community since September 2000, bringing a deep commitment to educating and supporting local families.

 

Prior to this, Sue worked in Bradford, where she also started out her career. Sue worked with and supported many vulnerable and disadvantaged school communities across Bradford, before bringing her valuable experience to Purlwell. Over Sue's 26 years of service at the school, Sue has held a number of curriculum and leadership roles, including more recent posts such as assuming Deputy Headteacher and SENDCo roles — Sue now proudly leads our dedicated team as Head of School.

 

Passionate about building strong, trust-based relationships with learners, colleagues, and families, Sue strives to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels that they belong. Sue's ultimate goal is to give every child the best possible foundation for life, empowering them to reach their full academic potential while growing into confident, resilient, kind, and independent individuals.

 

Amy Wilby

Batley Grammar School

Amy is an experienced senior educational leader with a career rooted in academic excellence, strong pastoral care, and a deep commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.

 

Since qualifying as a teacher in 2009, Amy has undertaken many senior leadership roles, including Head of Faculty, Head of Year, Specialist Leader of Education, Associate Assistant Headteacher and Assistant Headteacher for Curriculum. More recently, Amy has undertaken a School Improvement Lead role, before being promoted to Trust Headteacher and Trust DEIB Champion.

 

Amy holds an NPQSL and a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership, grounding her work in evidence-informed practice. Throughout her career, Amy has applied the knowledge and skills gained from these qualifications into meaningful improvements in teaching, learning and outcomes, in strategic school improvement, curriculum design and personal development.

 

As Headteacher, Amy is committed to raising the aspirations of all learners and colleagues by removing barriers to achievements, ensuring everyone feels valued, supported and able to fulfil their potential. Amy believes that where a school community has a strong sense of belonging, matched by care, compassion, to create an ambitious and focused environments, all learners and staff have the opportunity to thrive.