CEO Blog

• International Connections

  Mon 28 Mar 2022

  Last week, Batley Girls’ High School was delighted to host an Erasmus visit welcoming teachers from Greece, Norway, Portugal and Spain to our family of schools. The visit included an opening reception with different stakeholders from our community, visits to our family of schools, plus an opportunity to explore the wider area of West Yorkshire, providing a culturally rich experience.

   

  The project has seen 18 months of meticulous planning and preparation by the brilliant Emma Rodrigues, and has had a few postponements due to the pandemic. The focus of the Erasmus initiative is student and staff wellbeing from a strategic to a practical level, which explores the sharing of best practice across all the European partners.

   

  This visit was just one small part of the project; securing links now and for the future. As part of this initiative, each country is creating a suite of materials, which will be trialled and eventually shared across Europe so it really is a trailblazing project. Our aim across our Trust family of schools is to provide a great education and this doesn't just happen in the classroom environment. We aim to develop well-rounded individuals and projects such as this helps our young people to see a world where difference is valued and celebrated.

  

• Sensational Science

  Mon 21 Mar 2022

  Last week was National Science Week and young people across our family of schools took part in a wide range of exciting and engaging science based learning activities. Some of our youngest scientists took part in a science super learning day and were tackling big questions such as “Do older children run faster? Do they have bigger feet? Can we identify British trees by looking at their leaves? What is DNA?”. Children explored these key questions and more, and the day involved a fusion of science and art activities with some fabulous work produced by the end of the day. Science is a key area of our curriculum and there are so many great careers linked to science for young people to consider. As Albert Einstein once famously said “The important thing is to never stop questioning” and in the words of Jane Goodall “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make”.

  

• National Careers Week

  Mon 14 Mar 2022

  Last week was National Careers week and across our family of schools our young people were engaged in a range of events designed to help them plan their future. It is never too early for young people to start to consider their future, and our schools encourage all our young people to be ambitious and forward thinking. From our curriculum in early years which is designed to build confidence, leadership and communication skills, to our sixth formers who are securing their apprenticeships or university placements-careers education is a key part of our enriching curriculum in all of our schools. Our Trust leads on the Kirklees Careers Hub and we are very proud of the great careers education, advice, support and guidance our family of schools offer to all our young people. We firmly believe that young people should set their sights high and be ambitious about their future and the job they can have. Afterall, if you choose a job that you love, you never have to work a day in your life. Our Alumni play a key role in our careers education and guidance and it is wonderful when our ex students return to their schools to speak to young people about their personal journey, where they are now and their successes. One key message they often give is that it isn’t about luck, it is more about hard work, resilience and determination to achieve your goals. The harder you work, the luckier you will be!

  

• International Women’s Day

  Mon 07 Mar 2022

  Ahead of International Women’s Day on Tuesday 8th March it was wonderful to see Zara Mohammed visit Batley this weekend. Zara shared a tweet outlining how the people of Batley have inspired her. She commented on how the spirit and strength of local communities is what makes a real difference to how we come together and overcome our differences. The students and staff at BG6 were very fortunate to meet with Zara on Friday afternoon, and we are delighted Zara took the time to visit our family of schools. Zara is a graduate in Human Rights Law, and the first female ever to be elected to the post of Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain. Zara is a great role model for young women all around the world.

   

  This weekend saw a series of inspirational women events across the Batley area and our Trust family of schools would like to thank all of the inspirational women in our community for all that you do. The school staff, mums, aunties, sisters, grandmothers (and nans), cousins and all of the women who are such great role models for our young people. We thank you today and every day for all that you do.

  International Women’s Day is all about working towards a world that is free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that is diverse, equitable and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. We can all play a role in celebrating women’s achievements, tackling bias and taking action for equality.