CEO Blog

• The World Reimagined

  Mon 30 Jan 2023

  Over the past two weeks our Trust family of schools have been taking part in a wide range of Great Winter Get Together activities. These have included lessons during curriculum time about how to build stronger communities, as well as intergenerational coffee mornings and so much more!

  At Healey Junior, Infant & Nursery School, the Batley Buzz was infectious, with their main hall packed full with children, families and members of their local community. This was a wonderful opportunity to share memories and ideas, and for people young and old to get together and share all that is fantastic about their town, and the people who live and work here.

  At Upper Batley High School, learners from Year 7 to Year 10 took part in an art project; The World Reimagined. This project was designed to transform young people’s understanding of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and its impact on everyone. The school explored their shared history and engaged with ideas around how we can make racial justice a reality in the future - as well as young people’s power to create change, and have their voice heard. 

   

  Young people looked at the impact of events like the Transatlantic Slave Trade on modern life today; discussing their school community, their wider community and their own experiences. These thoughts and ideas were developed into written and visual representations and applied to a fibreglass globe sculpture to communicate a message of social justice and strength for their community. The finished globe was varnished and then displayed in The Tetley in Leeds, during the summer.

   

  The globe has now arrived at Upper Batley High School to be showcased during the Great Winter Get Together, and celebrate how we all have far more in common than that which divides us. The sculpture is on display outside the school’s main entrance to continue to share the young people's message of hope for the future, and for a 'World Reimagined.' One of the key messages featured is that we can all 'be the change we wish to see in the world.'

  

• The Great Winter Get Together

  Mon 23 Jan 2023

  The cold weather didn't stop the fantastic people of Batley from venturing out this Saturday, when our local More In Common group held the community Great Winter Get Together event at Batley Community Centre. People braved the cold and fog to enjoy a hot drink and some delicious cakes!

   

  There were some super prizes to be had on the tombola, art activities for those with creative flair, and many people signed up for the Run for Jo in June, and the Jo Cox Way cycle ride in July. The Batley Buzz was evident, with a full community centre and lots of people making connections with others.

   

  The new local magazine 'Together in Batley' was shared and discussed. Great work from across our family of schools is shared regularly in that magazine, and we thank Celia for her hard work on bringing this publication to life to celebrate all that is brilliant in Batley!

   

  Thank you to our school staff, and members of our Stronger Together parent/carer groups who supported this important community event, as well as the Batley Library Great Winter Get Together where some superb poetry was shared, and even written on the day! Together we can tackle loneliness through one connection at a time. 

  

• Kindness and Compassion

  Mon 16 Jan 2023

  This week sees the launch of the national Great Winter Get Together campaign and lots of exciting activities are taking place across our family of schools; in lessons, assemblies and community coffee mornings. The Great Winter Get Together is all about tackling loneliness through one connection at a time.

   

  We can all feel lonely at different times in our lives and that's why kindness and compassion are key. Loneliness isn't just something elderly people face, it can affect us all. Sometimes the struggles a person faces in their daily lives cannot be seen. Always be kind, as you never know the challenges a person may be facing.

   

  Everyone who works or studies in our family of schools is asked to always be the best version of themselves. To be positive, be solution-focused, to help others and to ask for help when they need it. Our family of schools supports each other through the good times and the tough times, and our schools are at the heart of the community. You will hear us regularly talk about the power of teamwork. After all, TEAM means: Together Everyone Achieves More. 

  

• The Great Winter Get Together

  Mon 09 Jan 2023

  With only one week to go to the start of the national Great Winter Get Together events we wanted to remind everyone about the power of positive connections. In our family of schools, in Batley, we always work together to support each other and do all that we can to help others. 

   

  Loneliness can affect anyone, at any point in our lives, for lots of different reasons. You never know what someone is going through, which is why we should; be kind, always. By taking part in The Great Winter Get Together we can help to tackle loneliness in our community, in whatever way we can, no matter how big or small. In helping someone else, we can also find that we help ourselves - doing something positive for someone else is often more rewarding than we realise. When we feel lonely, we seek out places for connection and schools are a big part of all our lives, and a big part of our community. 

   

  The Winter Great Get Together is all about connection, therefore the events begin next week (on what is sometimes called 'Blue Monday') and our schools will join in the events and activities which encourage everyone to make meaningful connections with new people, as well as promoting places of connection that already exist, so that people experiencing loneliness are made aware of these places. With the cost of living crisis making things difficult for people to afford their usual social activities, this year the Great Winter Get Together is more important than ever. We hope you will be able to take part in some of the events in our schools, and our community. 

   

  On Saturday 21 January everyone is welcome to pop into Batley Community Centre between 12pm-2pm for coffee, cake and a chat. Then, The Great Winter Write Together takes place in Batley Library 2-4pm; which is a free letter and poetry writing workshop.

  

• Set your sights on high

  Tue 03 Jan 2023

  Happy New Year! On behalf of everyone in the Batley Multi Academy Trust family of schools I would like to wish you a very happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous New Year.

   

  We wanted to start the year with this lovely poem by Paul Cookson, read by a young leader at Upper Batley High School during their annual Presentation Evening at the end of last year. Please click here to see the reading.

   

  We begin the new year with renewed hope, new ambitions, excitement and enthusiasm for what the future holds. As educators, we are excited about what our young people can achieve, if they work hard and are always the best version of themselves. As staff, we model this in all our actions each and every day, and in every interaction we have with all our young people. Let's all set our "sights on high" as the poem states, for the future year ahead!

   

  We know January can be a tough month for many people, and the current economic climate poses challenges for all of us and for our community overall, but we also know that together everyone achieves more. We will work together to support each other, and do all that we can to help others who may be struggling or having a difficult time. We can all feel lonely at different points in our lives and one act of kindness really can help another person - even a smile or a 'hello' can brighten someone's day. Kindness doesn't cost anything. This January we will be taking part in The Great Winter Get Together to bring people together in all of our schools and across our community to tackle loneliness, one connection at a time.

   

  We can all work hard to be positive and to achieve our goals and ambitions - so let's set our sights on high, for the future is in our hands.