CEO Blog

• Great Get Together: Batley Bake Off

  Mon 30 Jun 2025

  Friday was a fabulous day when one of our Trust family of schools hosted the 2025 Batley Bake Off. The Jo Cox Conference Centre at UBHS was the location for this fantastic event, which is now in its 9th year, and each year the standard of entries gets higher and higher! 

   

  The Batley Bake Off runs as part of our Great Get Together annual events where we bring our community together. Who doesn't enjoy a slice of cake and a cup of Yorkshire Tea?! We were joined by Jo's family - her fantastic dad Gordon, and her sister Kim were on the judging panel, together with Trust Central Team staff, Christina and Melanie, and Rory from the Jo Cox Foundation. 

   

  The competition entries this year were sensational and to name just a few; we had a beautiful tiered rainbow cake with a poignant message about the power of community and a great education, a cheesecake which is so unique and delicious that Asda are putting it on sale in their stores across the country, a fabulous More In Common Batley cake (made by one of our very own Headteachers), a taste sensation from the brilliant Janice at BGHS whose cakes are famous across our Trust family of schools, a cake themed around the Trust logo made by our very own Attendance Lead, Becky, and a handcrafted work of art depicting a school's curriculum offer around horticulture, barnyard and bees - wow!

   

  Then there was a rhubarb spectacular in which learners from across several year groups of Batley Grammar School had thoughtfully researched forced rhubarb, The Rhubarb Triangle in West Yorkshire, Jo Cox and her work. The learners had grown the rhubarb (and even grown the flowers on their table display) then carefully crafted rhubarb cheesecake, rhubarb muffins, rhubarb crumble and even made rhubarb-ade to drink! This entry was amazing not only in taste, but in thought, care and attention to detail. Every aspect of their presentation was linked to the red and white gingham of the Great Get Together colours - down to the intricate little red and white bows on the miniature cheesecakes. It really was a showstopper! Well done Team BGS and a massive thank you to everyone who has supported our Great Get Together events this June! We are the Trust at the heart of the Batley community and we have far more in common than that which divides us. 

  

• Community Makes Us

  Mon 23 Jun 2025
  This weekend saw a fantastic community event at Oakwell Hall. It was the 9th Run for Jo event and we had the best ever turn out of our Members, Trustees, Governors, staff, learners and families, all representing our Trust family of schools, and our local community, at the event. People were volunteering, running, walking, supporting, and some were with their community groups, such as scouts. So many members of our brilliant staff team do so much to help others all year round and this event is one of the superb examples of that Batley Brilliance. 

   

  The Run for Jo is a key event in the Great Get Together calendar. It is all about bringing people together to celebrate the great people who live and work in our community. Jo was a true humanitarian and a real people person; and we bring people together at events like the Run for Jo, both to honour Jo's memory and build a legacy of community engagement and helping others. Our goal is also to inspire our next generation to always be the best version of themselves and to know the positive impact they can have on their local community. Every voice matters! And, as a great woman once said: "We all have far more in common than that which divides us."

   

  Community Makes Us and the unity in community is key. 

  

• Batley Brilliance

  Mon 16 Jun 2025
  Last week saw the turn of Hyrstmount to host the Batley Breakfast session. Hyrstmount is a new member of our Trust family of schools and the Batley Breakfast was a wonderful opportunity for Headteacher, Mr Leach, his talented staff team, and his incredible learners to showcase all that is marvellous about  Hyrstmount. They did not disappoint! It was a superb morning, and a great opportunity for Mr Leach to showcase to our Members, Trustees and Governors what makes Hyrstmount so successful, together with their vision for the future now they have joined our Trust family. 

   

  The Year 5 and 6 School Council team was fantastic, and it was great to hear about why they love attending Hyrstmount School, how they are involved in leading key areas of the school and their favourite aspect of life at Hyrstmount. The granny rap from another group of learners was an added bonus and simply brilliant!

   

  Well done Team Hyrstmount and welcome to our Trust family. You are already an asset to the team. 

  

• So much to celebrate

  Mon 09 Jun 2025

  Eid Mubarak to everyone in our community who was celebrating this weekend. We have so much to celebrate in Batley. Consider the brilliant people who live and work here, and the fantastic achievements they accomplish.

   

  Batley is all about brilliant education for all! Batley Girls' High School has the National Careers Champion of the Year award from the CDI (Career Development Institute), Upper Batley High School has been named as the Secondary School of the Year by Modeshift Stars with a fantastic presentation ceremony at the Royal Society in London, Smart Academy was described as 'exceptional' when monitored externally and Field Lane was crowned as a Neurodiversity Champion School. If that isn't enough, our schools are also all achieving the Eco Schools Award, many with distinction. This work is a crucial part of our environmental sustainability work. 

   

  All of this is taking place in schools where achievement is strong, attendance is high and increasing, and children enjoy coming to school, plus parents and carers would recommend our schools to others.
  
  We are very proud of our excellent schools and the remarkable people who work in them, as well as the remarkable learners who study with us. The education we offer commences with our two year old nursery provision, and goes right through to our adult education and training through our Yorkshire Rose Hub, and of course, we also have our community offer for families through our two community centres: The Fields, with one centre based at Field Lane School and one at Manorfield School.

   

  We are the Trust at the heart of the Batley community, and when education may not be prioritised as much as it should be nationally, we certainly proritise it here, doing our very best for the young people we serve, and our local community. Batley is all about brilliant education for all. 

  

• Community Makes Us

  Mon 02 Jun 2025
  Welcome back! We hope you have all enjoyed the half term break and time spent with family and friends. Many of our learners have now almost finished their assessments this year, whether that's our primary aged learners, our secondary learners, our sixth formers, or our adults doing their teacher training. With only seven weeks to go until the summer break, we have a busy time ahead, with lots of inspiring learning taking place each and every day, in every Trust school. Every Day Counts. 

   

  There are sports days, plays and productions, visits to colleges and universities, and a big transition day in July for all our Year 6 learners who will visit their new secondary schools. This half term is an exciting time of change and transition, and a time of new beginnings, when everyone looks ahead towards a bright and successful future. 

   

  Our Eco Schools work is thriving and HUGE congratulations to Upper Batley High School, whose work has once again been recognised by the Eco School Award with Distinction. Well done to Lisa Woods and the Upper Batley team!

   

  June is also the month of the Great Get Together. This is a national campaign about bringing people together to tackle loneliness through one connection at a time. Inspired by our MP, Jo Cox, the Great Get Together started as a coffee morning in Batley and is now an international movement with Great Get Together activities taking place all across the world!
  
  We celebrate bringing our community together as often as we can, especially in June. This year we have these fantastic events for you to get involved in:

   

  • Step Into The Future: Thursday 19 June - a virtual event connecting our Year 6 and Year 7 learners.
  • Run for Jo: Sunday 22 June at Oakwell Hall - a 2.5K family fun run, and a 6.5K run for everyone who would like to get involved.
  • Batley Bake Off: Friday 27 June at Upper Batley High School 10:00am-12:00pm. Bake a birthday cake for Jo, which can be any theme of your choice. There are prizes available for first, second and third place, or simply come along to try the cakes!

   

  Community Makes Us and the unity in community is key.