We have held the Investors in People award now for 10 years, in recognition of high standards of training and development that we provide for all our staff. As an educational establishment, learning is of course at the heart of all we do. We believe that we must role model to our students the value of life-long learning. After undergoing a rigorous 4 day assessment, involving over sixty staff, we are proud to announce that our achievements were recognised and we were awarded IiP GOLD - the highest possible award. Below are some extracts and quotes taken from the report. We are sure you will share our pleasure in reading them.

• Throughout the formal interviews, informal conversations and site observations it was very apparent that this School continually and consistently demonstrates the very best of what makes an Investor in People exemplar. Learning and Development, of course, is the very language that any school speaks. What is unusual at Batley Girls’ is the very fluid and imaginative way that staff are continually developed and that learning and development is promoted beyond the school gates, within the local community and through family learning.
  • “Here it’s not just ‘every child matters’ but ‘every person matters’ - that’s what makes it special.”
  • There is a willingness by staff to go the extra mile in terms of supporting students. This does not go unrecognised and there is a very mature ‘give and take’ culture which supports the Work-Life balance strategy. Many staff feel that the biggest payback if they’ve given additional time (for example after school or indeed in school holidays) is the achievement of students.
  • The campaign to ‘Save our School’ really demonstrated the passion that staff have for the continued success of their school, how they are committed to this success and how there is a true sense of ownership and pride in working for Batley Girls’ High.
  • “There is a culture of continuous learning and growing our own here. Jackie Eames is excellent at spotting talent and enabling people to blossom.”
  • “People feel challenged but not threatened, therefore development is encouraged naturally – this sums up the culture here for me.”
  

Eighty students and staff attended our fifth annual Year 13 Leavers' event which was held this year at The Great Hall, the University of Leeds followed by a celebration meal at Akbar's in Leeds. The Great Hall provided a wonderful setting, befitting such an occasion. A range of special awards, voted for by staff and students, were presented by representatives of the school and our partners. These included the prestigious University of Leeds Achievement Award presented by Dr Jon Barber to Zara Fiaz and the Head's Aspiration Award presented by Jackie Eames to Maryam Bi Zafar. The evening proved to be a highly enjoyable one and we look forward to hearing of all the future successes achieved by this special group of young women.

On Friday 13th June 24 excited Year 7 and 8 students set off on a Residential trip to Wales. We stayed at the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales in an eco cabin. This allowed us to monitor the energy that we used and even see how many warm showers we had left! On Saturday we explored the Centre and learnt about different types of renewable energy, then went horse riding. Despite many of us being nervous, especially Mr Boocock, we all had a brilliant time and wanted to go again! We also went on a sensory trail that meant us following a course whilst blindfolded.
There were lots of jobs that needed doing including washing up that some of us had not done before. We all took turns to cook the food we ate; we particularly enjoyed the angel delight and squirty cream! Bringing in the wood for the fire was lots of fun and Mr Goddard was determined that it would not go out! When we got back on Sunday all of us were tired, but having had a brilliant weekend.

In June our annual field trip to Malham gave Year 12 Biology students the opportunity to carry out a field study in woodlands. This is in preparation for their A2 studies. At the field centre the students were taught sampling techniques and carried out a study on the distribution of Dogs Mercury under Ash and Sycamore trees. Although it was a rather soggy day, Biologists at Batley Girls' are now experts in using quadrats and random sampling!

As part of our Primary Arts Network, Lydgate and Field Lane schools have worked with Mrs Clark this term. Children from Year 3 and 4 at Field Lane have been into school on two consecutive Wednesdays to work in Art and Design for some of the day. Then they enjoyed finding out about our animals, feeding them and watching Sapphire the goat being milked. In Art and Design they compared block printing by hand with producing repeat patterns using Adobe Photoshop. They finished the day by planting some flowers to take back to school. Everyone involved had a very enjoyable day.

A group of fourteen Year 11 students visited a 'crime scene' following their examinations to help them complete and extra BTEC science unit in Forensic Science. The crime involved the kidnap of the daughter of an MP, Sophie Newton-Dunn. The suspect’s house was examined, as well as the holding room and even the getaway car! They considered the preservation of the scene, photographed it and collected evidence observing the same protocols expected of the experts. Once the evidence was 'bagged and tagged' they carried out fingerprint analysis, blood spatter analysis and tyre/shoe print casts. Upon our return to school we looked at fingerprinting in more detail as well as matching DNA profiles and the Kastle-Meyer test for blood. The students have also looked at Chemical Reactions and the role of the Forensic Science Service in the Criminal Justice System. The girls worked tremendously hard over the week and have improved their qualification to the extended certificate in BTEC Applied Science (equivalent to a double C GCSE grade). Well done to all the girls involved. The photographs below show students examining the scene and carrying out fingerprint analysis.

The Year 7 Football tournament kicked off again this half term. Following the Champions League, the competition allowed the girls a chance to work together as a team and to show off their Football skills on the AstroTurf. Each form was given a Champions League team to use as inspiration for the tournament. The hot favourites were 7JEB and 7SSC, both with a highly competitive nature, these forms were a force to be reckoned with. The first games, between 7SSC & 7MD and 7JEB & 7FP saw both JEB and SSC score more than 5 goals each. MD and FP would have to up their game in the next round. In the second round, JEB smashed MD 6 goals to none, while SSC were no match for FP, also scoring 6 goals to none. All of the teams are putting in maximum effort and proving they have developed skills in team work and healthy competition. The competition will last for seven weeks, with the final taking place in the last week of school. Watch the website to get the result.

In April 2011, the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust awarded the school the Rural Dimension status. Schools with this award are those committed to providing opportunities for their students to increase their awareness and understanding of the countryside and the environment. The extension to the farm and the new growing areas that will be created at the school will allow students and volunteers from the Batley Tenants' and Residents' Association to run a Howden Clough Farm delivery service for local residents. The intention is for this social enterprise to grow and deliver fruit and vegetables to the surrounding area.

The year 7 reading group are currently shadowing The Carnegie Medal which is awarded by children's librarians for an outstanding book for children and young people. On the 1st of April the sixty nominated books were narrowed down and a shortlist of just six books was announced. This meant that the group could then get reading! The group have devoured the books with enthusiasm. They found the shortlisted to collection to be a good mixture of love, adventure and excitement and there have been a mixture of opinions and reviews about them. The Bride's Farewell by Meg Rosoff was a firm favourite. Lily said that the book "captivated and enthralled" her whilst Sabaa found it "unpredictable" and enjoyed the fairytale ending. The Prisoner of the Inquisition by Theresa Breslin is also a popular read; Humaira found it strange and mysterious and Saarah gave it 4 stars. The group are now looking forward to the 23rd June when the winning title will be announced.

The 'Our Green Futures' event held at Batley Girls' High School on Friday 17th June was a part of the annual Batley Heritage and MOSAIC Community Arts Project. Bringing schools back together after the launch at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in autumn was an important part of the celebration of schools' work. The workshops at Batley Girls' were attended by children from Mill lane, Field Lane, Fieldhead, Carlton and Warwick Road schools. The activities included scientific experiments in the Science Learning Garden, visits to the school farm, planting to develop the outside learning environments in the participating schools and art activities. The art work produced, focused on the 'recycling robot' inspired by the designs children developed in the autumn term. The robot sculpture was created by Mick Kirkby Geddis. To find out more about the project visit Batley Art Gallery from 25th June-16th July. For more information click here.

This has been another amazing year, where our girls have demonstrated their generosity by supporting a wide range of charities. Monies have been collected in a variety of ways including fundraising events, non-uniform days and a particularly creative innovation, the ‘Respectometer’ which transforms ‘Respect’ tokens into charitable donations. Our students researched a whole raft of charities at the start of the year and chose which local, national and international charities they wanted to support. Since September they have raised a staggering £5,956.15 in total.

Our local charities:

Martin House Children’s Hospice £422.71
The Laura Crane Trust £259.77

National charities:

Breast Cancer Campaign £1083.97
Cancer Research UK £82.10
Help for Heroes £80.00
Children in Need £366.95

International charities:

UNICEF £270.04
Action Aid £240.00
Islamic Relief £1266.09
Education Morocco Ltd £504.83
‘Indiability’ £1379.69

Respect lies at the heart of all we do here at BGHS. Visitors to our school report that they ‘feel’ it as an almost tangible force. The girls have a real sense of their personal, social, moral and cultural responsibilities and it is therefore unsurprising that we achieved an ‘outstanding’ for PSHE in Ofsted earlier this year. We may not be a ‘wealthy’ community, be we are certainly one that is’ rich’ in spirit. A letter of thanks from Martin House which shows how much our help means to them can be seen by clicking here. See also the article below about the successful Mo-Rock-O event.

Friday the 13th is, for those of us who are superstitious, a day of bad luck. Not so in June for the Year 7 students and their form tutors. Mr Boocock, Mrs Schofield, Mrs Kilburn and Mrs Dean warmed up their acting and singing skills for a one-off performance to raise money for the Year 7 charity, a Muslim girls’ school in the Moroccan mountains. With more than 200 attendees, Mr B wowed the crowd with his dulcet tones, accompanied by Mrs Schofield and Mr Evans as Genie. “We will rock you” and “Let me entertain you” started the lunchtime performance and encouraged the girls to whoop and cheer for their teachers. This was followed by a dramatic performance by Mrs Dean and Mrs Kilburn, dressed as the Spice Girls, using several well-known Spice Girls hits to act out a drama about friendship. Overall, the event was a huge success and raised more than £200 for the charity. The Year 7 team look forward to raising a lot more money for the girls in Morocco.

The Batley Girls’ Young Enterprise team had a fantastic experience when they represented West Yorkshire at the Yorkshire and Humber regional finals. Competition was fierce with teams representing North and South Yorkshire, the Humber and Gibraltar. However, the Batley Girls’ company “Gemineyez” won two of the main awards, with the team taking the “Award for Teamwork” and year 12 student Baazla Babar winning the “Managing Director of the Year” award. In addition, the school received a special award as a Young Enterprise Centre of Excellence. This is testament to the hard work of the team and a long history of Young Enterprise success at the school. A big “well done” to the team and all those involved in working with them.

The Year 7 team sure know how to make learning fun. Thursday 16th June saw the Ancient Civilisations of Persia, Greece and Babylon come to life before our very eyes. Our amphitheatre became the stage for Year 7 students in 7MD, 7AFS and 7SSC to share what they had learnt about the ancient civilisations and what their people contributed to the world we live in today. 7AFS filled our minds with facts through a drama based on Persian myths. 7SSC taught us the Greek alphabet and even invited us in to watch an episode of “Greek Come Dine with Me”. I’m not sure I’d want to eat grasshoppers though, girls. 7MD used the power of song to educate the rest of Year 7 about the ancient Babylonians, singing “By the rivers of Babylon.” The afternoon was a great success, a tribute to the hard work of all the students involved.

A number of our budding gardeners have recently built an award-winning miniature version of the proposed farm that the school is creating in partnership with the local Tenants and Residents Association. The girls created the mini garden on a pallet and filled it with decorative ideas and practical planting schemes to inspire visitors to get growing in their own small spaces at home.
A number of schools created tiny gardens that were put on display to the public at RHS Harlow Carr over the past week as part of the Budding Gardeners Exhibition and the garden created by the girls won the RHS Curator's Favourite Award. Yvonne Kilvington from the school who designed the garden with the girls said "I am so pleased and very proud of the girls who worked hard in putting it all together." The pallet garden has been reconstructed at the school and we hope to begin work on its full size counterpart in the near future. "It is our intention to create a small working farm that will supply fresh fruit and vegetables, eggs and honey to the local community" said Deputy Head Teacher, Ray Henshaw. In fact, the work that the school has done has been recognised by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust who awarded the school its Rural Dimension status in May 2011. This award is only given to leading edge schools who use horticulture to open up exciting and practical learning opportunities for young people. "Rural Dimension accreditation is a recognition that this school provides opportunities for our students to increase their experience of rural and environmental topics and issues as part of their curriculum and we are proud to have been awarded this status" added Ray.

Batley Girls’ sixth form students entered “the zone” in the build-up to the busy exams season. Students were asked to “raise their game” in order to fully focus on their studies and achieve their full potential and were encouraged to constantly review their own learning by identifying their areas of strength, while targeting individual aspects of their work they needed to improve. A product of this initiative was the Student of the Week award as nominated by staff (see photo below). Individual students were rewarded for outstanding commitment to their own learning and for the impact they had on the learning community of the school. Head of Sixth Form, David Cooper commented, “Presenting these awards is always a joy as they are an opportunity to reward those students who invest in their own learning. All the awards are fully deserved and give other students something to aspire to”.

Sixth formers joined a campaign recently to snuff out the under-age use of smokeless tobacco. Several AS Health & Social Care students took groups of students in Year 10 and 11 for PSHCE. Here they completed a health campaign educating students on the causes of mouth cancer prevalent in Asian communities where there has been a significant rise in cases over the last year. The girls’ used the knowledge gained from West Yorkshire Trading Standards and Babs Hussain to develop their work.

The Travel and Tourism A2 student team went into action in March 2011 and organised an event with an adventurous purpose as part of their Adventure Tourism work. Sixteen students attended Aerial Extreme and were challenged to complete a high wire adventure course. As relaxation after the stress of overcoming 60 exciting obstacles they visited the adjoining Knowsley Safari Park.

After a Saville Town Infants teacher saw our facilities at the Food for Life award earlier this year she asked if her form could come to Batley Girls’ to meet our animals. On Friday 10th June her class of sixteen year 1 and ten year 2 children arrived to spend the afternoon with us. Yvonne Kilvington, our farm manager, took some of the children to gather eggs and to feed the goats. Sapphire the goat was brought out of her pen and was treated to the many stroking hands of the children. They compared the feel of her coat on her back to that on her ears. When Yvonne milked Sapphire they all wanted to see where the milk was coming from and jumped back when it squirted towards them by accident. They were amazed to feel how warm the container was when filled with the fresh goat’s milk. Sapphire loved all the attention and Elvis and his friends looked through the wire enviously. Next Chocolate the rabbit was the star and everyone wanted to touch him but he was a little overawed by so many small voices. Fudge the Guinea pig was also brought out to meet the visitors and all of the children were longing to hold him. A small black cat that lives locally attracted some attention when it pounced on a nice fat mouse alongside the goat pen. After questions about the animals and as the rain started we all went to the amphitheatre and the children worked in small groups to plant up some pots to take back to school. They loved all our covered outdoor spaces and practiced some of the moves and stances on the pictures on the walls of the amphitheatre. A quick handwash and it was time to leave and the big ahhh that they engendered from our students as they began to leave was heart-warming. There was just time to collect some tomato plants to take home to their parents before the coach arrived to take them home. We were able to support the cost of the coach through funding from Food for Life that we gained by being a flagship school.

BTEC Art and Design students visited the Yorkshire Sculpture Park recently to visit the Jaume Plensa exhibition both in the gallery and around the park. The 25 students from year 9 and 2 Year 12 were able to appreciate the size, texture, detail and colours of the sculptures on display. The experience of seeing artists’ work first hand always promotes exciting 3D work in school and leaves the students motivated and enthusiastic. The visit was a great success. The exhibition remains in place at YSP until September.

Year 11 students experienced intensive Science coaching sessions as well as challenging outdoor activities during their visit to Kingswood in February half term. In between Science coaching sessions, outdoor activities were timetabled as rewards. Kingswood Peak Venture proved an ideal venue for education and adventure. On arrival, the students were a little horrified that they would live for the next two nights and three days with no mirrors or sockets for phone chargers in their dormitories! A Science evidence hunt was organised for the duration of the stay where students were challenged to take photos to show Science in the real world e.g. use of polymers and calculation of average speed. The first activity of Aeroball (trampolining with basketball) broke the ice and showed the importance of teamwork. Science sessions were taught by Mr Schlecter and Miss Mundiya using a range of unusual methods such as Sumo suits to show electron configuration in atoms, model balloons to demonstrate static electricity and answering Science questions during the abseil! Students were also fortunate to work with Peter Hoskins, Kirklees Science consultant as part of their coaching programme. More conventional methods of teaching exam technique using post-it notes, mini whiteboards and plenty of past papers were also used.
The outdoor activities provided by Kingswood were abseiling, zip wire, leap of faith and archery. The students found these activities to be confidence building, self challenging and wholly enjoyable. A poll at the end of the trip, showed students would definitely recommend the residential to other students and they said how useful it had been.

On Monday 4th April 2011 Year 5 students visited Batley Girls’ High School from Park Road, Healey, Batley Parish, Saint Saviors and Field Lane junior schools. It was an incredible day. The children were amazed at their own creative skills. The theme of the day was Spring Religious Festivals and students looked at Holi, Easter and Passover. Three Year 7 students from every tutor group kindly agreed to help in this wonderful event with joy and enthusiasm. The students had a lot of fund and were respectful, well behaved and very excited. Before they left they all had the opportunity to visit the animals which are kept outside. It was a great day full of happiness where everyone enjoyed their time. Ahafizah Daji 7AFS

Fifty students from Year 10 to Year 13 watched Oscar winning director Danny Boyle’s Frankenstein in March. The sell out show was being broadcast live from the Donmar Warehouse in London as part of The National Theatre’s attempt to allow more people to see the show. This one off broadcast was shown at the Vue Cinema Kirstall Leeds and was also a sell out with over 500 people in the audience there as well. The play was captivating all the way through and looked at the ideas of taking responsibility for your actions and the role that science has to play in society. Both Jonny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch gave outstanding performances.
“Frankenstein was brilliant! It was as though we had gone to see it performed live on stage, the acting was so realistic it was breathtaking. Best trip I've been on for a while!” Ammaara Bhana Year 12

Sky Sports Living for Sport is a free initiative that uses sport to motivate and inspire 11-16 year olds. Following the completion of a leadership project with year 11 students, the school was entitled to a visit from one of their Athlete Mentors, Nichola Minichiello. Nichola held the year 11 BTEC students enthralled as she explained how she took up sport as a way of making friends in school following being bullied and how she first became a champion heptathlete. As a result of her skills she was then targeted to take up the sport of bobsleigh and has been Britain’s number 1 driver since 2001. Nichola explained the highs and lows of her career and told how she is the first British medallist in bobsleigh for over 40 years until she was crowned World Champion in 2009. The Girls passed her medal around and were able to have their photograph taken with her. The school would like to thank Nichola for her valuable input to the BTEC PE course.

Three A2 Health and Social Care students (Irram Akbar, Sumaiyah Badat and Safiya Omar) enjoyed voluntary work at Milen Day Care Centre for a day in March. They were able to carry out research for their A2 Health course whilst providing an excellent day service for the senior citizens.
Another four students on the same course (Sakina Bhoola, Rebecca Little, Nabeela Badat and Razina Patel) had the opportunity to work at Hollybank Centre for young people with cerebral palsy. They were able to demonstrate excellent care and communication skills for their studies. Health students enjoyed the experience and have been able to establish good links with the service for their Health and Social Care work. The image below shows students helping out at the Milen Centre.

Thursday 31st March came quickly for the Batley Girls’ High School spelling team. The Times Spelling Bee local heats were held in Bradford and our school entered a Year 7 team of four girls who were prepared to spell their hearts out and that they did! After a lot of team shuffling, the final team was made up of: Lily Hardcastle (7SSC), Paige Lettice (7MD), Zaynab Patel (7MD) and Arrifah Seedat (7SSC). The competition is comprised of two rounds – the “Spell-Off” and the “Quick Fire” rounds. The girls worked individually to spell a series of words ranging from ‘goat’ to ‘nuisance’ and in this round they did very well. They managed to stay in the Spell Off for 3 rounds, scoring 14 points. Lily had to giggle when her 3rd word was ‘iris’ – it just so happens that her younger sister is called Iris! Paige had the unusual word ‘newt’ to attempt to spell and got the 2 points for it! The girls really did the school proud, beating many schools in this first round. Just 4 schools out of the 10 competing made it to the final round. The second round saw the team up first to spell in the Quick Fire round. The girls had 2 minutes to spell as many words as possible to gain them as many points as possible. The girls did exceptionally well and scored 22 points – one of the highest scores in this round. This gave them a grand total of 36 points, putting them behind 5 other schools. Although they didn’t win, the girls did very well and were exceptional role models for the school.

Our new Contemplation Space has now opened in school with the aim of being a quiet and peaceful place for the use of both staff and students. It will give those who wish to pray somewhere to do so quietly and for those who just want some peace to reflect it will be equally useful. It is also hoped it will be used in lessons. The room has been kept plain and simple with zoned areas that are lit in different ways. It is hoped it will be a well used and respected resource.

On the 25th of March members of the SACRE YOUTH FORUM; Juwairiyyah Mughal, Kirsty Haley, Chloe Lister and I Saffron Liaquat, visited Deighton for the Festival of Faith organised by Mr Goddard. The students came up with the idea of creating a large poster covered with images collected from students in years 7, 8 and 9. They were asked to create an image showing what faith means to them as an individual. The group of students met up with representatives of the other schools taking part at Newsome High School in Huddersfield and shared their ideas.
Over 300 students from our school made an image and they were all added to the poster. The next step was to take the roll to the festival and ask the other students to express what faith means to them through the form of Art. At the festival the poster was a huge success and around another hundred people, young and old, added their own work to the piece. Another activity with paint added a little bit of ‘oomph’ as others were asked to make hand prints on different coloured card. The hand prints represented the different faiths and humanity itself and of course it was fun!
Since the theme of the festival related to the different religions that are present in our everyday lives across the world, other schools participating in the event performed types of religious music and gave people of different faiths the opportunity to dress up in garments that individuals from other beliefs may wear. This included the long robes and a mitre (ceremonial pointed hat) of a Christian bishop. Other items were also displayed and worn by the people attending the festival. The range of people involved included primary school children, junior school children and high school students. Overall the festival was a huge achievement for the students involved and the poster produced will be displayed in school for students, staff and visitors to enjoy.

Running round in circles was the main activity in Madrid for the eleven students from BGHS. The sixth formers, joined by Mrs Early and Miss Ali explored the streets of the Spanish city for four days whilst enjoying a break from their school schedules. The first day really only consisted of travelling to Madrid and figuring out the maze of the metro underground and then getting lost in the vibrant nightlife. On day two rain hit Madrid! The group seemed to have brought the British weather with them. A walking city tour revealed the sights and history of the old city. This new understanding of Spanish history really inspired the art, textiles, photography and leisure students to include something of Madrid in their studies. Later a bit of shopping helped the girls to cope with the rainy conditions. After seeing the sights it was back to the hotel dripping wet to get ready for the night’s activities. All dressed up, the group headed to the Hard Rock Café to enjoy juicy burgers, fresh salad and free ice cream! Then it was off to the Flamenco Show to enjoy some very entertaining dancers and singers - to say the least!
One of the main highlights for some was what would follow the next day, visiting the Bernabeu Stadium, home to the Real Madrid football team, where a guided tour gave the group a detailed history of the famous team. Next on the itinerary was modern art in the Sofia Museum providing a chance to see some of the home grown art from Madrid. This was followed by the Prado Museum which gave a more traditional outlook on artists of earlier times.
After a very busy day staff and students were glad to reach the buffet restaurant at the hotel, where they ate on the first night, having an enjoyable last night together. The trip provided lots of experiences and inspiration but overall a very exciting weekend.

A group of eight year 12 students visited Huddersfield University in March to take part in Pharmacy workshops as part of the Aimhigher “Preparing for the Professions” programme.
Over four days the workshops were informative and gave an insight into how Pharmacy is taught at university. Activities included making hand cream, dispensing and studying prescriptions. The students have also researched cancer drugs and terminology within this field.
The aim of the programme is to help students make successful applications to a very competitive university course.

The annual AS Biology visit to Chester Zoo took place in February, where students had the opportunity to quiz Zoo keepers about their roles in the conservation of endangered species. Meerkats, bats and a giraffe named Thorn who has recently found a partner via an online animal dating service or 'stud book' were observed as part of their coursework.
Our Year 12 Biologists also spotted Chester Zoo’s latest arrival, an elephant calf called Jamilah - a name chosen by crime novelist Ruth Rendall!

On Thursday 17th of March the school hosted an award ceremony for all those schools in the North Kirklees area who had gained the Bronze award for Food for Life. It was a real celebration for all the schools who had worked hard to achieve this. The Kirklees Caterers also received an award for the sustainability and healthy content of the food they serve.

On 15th March a group of Key Stage 4 and 5 students were given the opportunity to go and watch the dance troupe Flawless at Leeds Playhouse with Miss Rout Mrs Early. The girls enjoyed the high energy dance performances and this has inspired them to be more creative during their own dance lessons. They were also given the opportunity to perform a glove dance en mass with the rest of the auditorium under UV lights.
At the end of the performance the girls got the chance to meet the group and have their tickets signed, which was the highlight of the evening.

On Monday 14th March 2011, students from the year 10 Work Skills group put their best customer service skills to the test and held a coffee morning for the local community. The purpose of the event was to connect with the local residents in order to promote the school farm and horticultural centre. The horticultural portacabin was transformed into a café for the day with no expense spared when it came to decoration. Tables were set neatly with table cloths, vases of flowers and serviettes and the students served cream teas with tea and coffee. Home baked cakes and scones were made using eggs from the school’s own chickens, and were duly served with jam and fresh cream. To add the icing on the cake, the sun shone for the duration of the event which made for a perfect day.
Students gave guided tours of the farm and were keen to share their ideas and plans with the members of the community.
The event was a great success in engaging with the local residents and all felt it was an excellent step in creating a positive working relationship between the school and the local community. Well done to all involved.

Here at Batley Girls’ High School’s the recent charity performances of Cindy, a modern day take on Cinderella, raised £800 towards helping a group of eight students from the school embark on a trip in October to work with children who are blind, deaf or suffer from multiple disabilities in 3 schools in in India. Whilst there the Indiability girls, along with eight students from Batley Business and Enterprise College, will deliver sports, arts and craft and music activities as well as visiting local villages, orphanages and the nearby Alipore Hospital.
The shows were a great success and the Indiability girls would like to say a big thank you to those who attended the show and to the Headteacher Jackie Eames for allowing this fundraising to take place. One of the school’s governors, Shafiq Khan from Clough & Company, was unable to attend but made a very generous donation. Further fundraising events include a race night on the 20th May and a Fun Day on the 9th July both of which will be held at Batley Business and Enterprise College. For more information contact Vicki Graham on 01924 350080.

As a reward for their improved attainment in science, students in year 8 were recently invited to attend a show called ‘Science Museum on Tour’. This involved listening to and watching some fantastic experiments which included the use of liquid nitrogen to freeze a banana and use it like a hammer and a ride on a homemade hovercraft. They also took part in a quiz which was won by Aisha Cetin with the help of Mr Schlechter. The students covered topics such as forces; what’s in an atom; energy transfer and the work of famous scientists such as James Watt, Isacc Newton and Christopher Cockerell. All students thoroughly enjoyed the performance and behaved impeccably. Fatima stated ‘I really enjoyed going on the science trip, it was fun and different from school’.

On Saturday 12th March, forty-five Year 9 and 10 students spent the day in Stratford-Upon-Avon. The day began with a walk through the picturesque town of Stratford, taking in the sights, shops and Shakespeare's birthplace. The students delighted in having their pictures taken in front of the house where Shakespeare is believed to have been born, being entertained in the streets by the living statues and enjoying their lunch by the river.
The day was complete after a thoroughly spectacular production of 'Romeo and Juliet' performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Waterside Theatre. The students were captivated by the staging and amazed at the grandeur of the performance. The students were excellent ambassadors for the school and several members of the public commented on their maturity and outstanding behaviour.

During the half term holiday nine students from year 10 enjoyed a residential Art Workshop with students from Nidderdale High School at Stud Fold Farm in Higher Nidderdale. The centre was far from anywhere and there was no signal for phones plus it snowed heavily while we were there. Our students enjoyed the snow and produced some excellent art work although I think the highlight was RAKU firing of their ceramic jewellery on Saturday evening. Our students’ behaviour was exemplary and the teachers enjoyed the experience too.

On 10th of March I had the privilege of accompanying two sixth form students, Zahra Zaheer and Tayyibah Munshi on a one day tour of Auschwitz and Auschwitz Birkenau. Whilst it was a positive experience and a truly unforgettable one, it is also one that we would not wish to repeat. To witness with our own eyes the depths to which human beings can sink was sobering and reminded us of what we can do to each other when ignorance and prejudice reign. During the day we were shown round both camps, led by an experienced Polish guide, where we saw first-hand their terrible legacy, in the form of photos and possessions left behind by the victims of the gas chambers. These images made sure that we saw the victims as human beings and were able to empathise with them. The range of emotions that we felt are impossible to put into words but were perhaps best captured by the sight of two hundred silent teenagers, many of whom were quietly sobbing. As the sun set over Birkenau and a chill wind tore through our bones, it seemed entirely appropriate that we were led in remembrance by a Jewish Rabbi who reminded us that we must learn the lessons of history. A week later, we all attended a follow-up seminar where we reflected on our experiences and considered what we had learnt and how we could share this with others. As I listened to the thoughts of the young adults I felt enormously proud to be a teacher and a great sense of hope. The young people are so determined to use what they experienced as a tool to teach their fellow students and ensure that we all learn from our mistakes. If the memories of that day remain with them, the future should be a much safer place; one where we live in tolerance and respect for one another. Miss Williams.

As part of the Aimhigher programme.Yr 9 Students have been carrying out research into Higher Education. One of the students, Zairah Arif, has been selected as the winner of an iPod Nano, following successful completion of the Higher Education quiz on the GO2UNI.net website. Zairah was one of only ten winners in West Yorkshire to be awarded this prize.
When awarded the prize Zariah commented "I’m lucky to have the opportunity to be part of the Aimhigher programme. The competition was interesting and fun but helped me to learn more about Higher Education. The programme has helped me to aspire and achieve my full potential in school”. Congratulations Zairah.

Zairah is photographed below receiving her prize during assembly from Headteacher Mrs Eames and KS3 Pastoral Leader Mr Goddard.

The night of Wednesday 9th of March was an exciting night for forty Year 10 students. Mrs Dean, Mrs Kilburn, Mrs Roberts and Mr Fletcher took the group to Bradford’s “Mind the Gap” Studios to see a performance of Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men.” The play had been adapted from Steinbeck’s novel which the girls have been studying in their GCSE English course.
“Of Mice and Men” is an extraordinary tale of friendship, loyalty and the power of dreams. George and Lennie are drifters who have only each other and their shared search for the American Dream. George is the sharp little guy who looks out for Lennie. Lennie is his big-hearted companion who, unaware of his own strength, seems unable to keep out of trouble. Finding work on a ranch in California, they plan to stay long enough to buy a little place of their own… but their arrival triggers a tragic chain of events that threatens to destroy the very dream that unites them.
Mind the Gap is an award-winning theatre company that works with learning disabled and non-disabled artists as equals.
The performance was outstanding. With a cast of just three, Jez Colborne, Robert Ewens and Jessica Buxton, the character of George reminisced about the story of Lennie and himself. Jessica Buxton managed to portray several characters from Curley’s wife to Slim, Candy to Curley, and did a fantastic job of using small props to show the different characters. The trip was a fantastic success and the students thoroughly enjoyed the performance.

Author and poet James Nash paid a visit to Batley Girls’ High School recently to share his wisdom and inspiration. He is a prolific writer and is the author of 3 books of poetry, 2 collections of short stories and has recently completed his first novel. Alongside his writing he has also spent time as Reader in Residence for the BBC’s The Big Read and Writer in Residence at The University of Leeds.

During the morning of 4th March Year 11 students took part in creative writing workshops with James, polishing up their skills in preparation for this summer’s exams. Safiyyah Mayet found the workshop “very inspiring and very useful for the exam. He taught us to explore different ways of describing things”.

James spent the second half of the morning sharing his inspiration with the Year 7 students who were also lucky enough to hear him read his poetry and talk about his forthcoming novel. Budding author Lauren Varley said that “it was really interesting to find out what an author actually does when he isn’t writing. It made my dream of becoming an author more realistic”.

Extending provision for art in the wider community - an aspiration towards lifelong learning

Here at Batley Girls’ High School we currently hold seven community classes each week specifically for adult learners and at the moment we have a hundred such learners on our register. Some adults work towards GCSE or A Level accreditation and 100% of our adult candidates to date have achieved grades A-C. Other group members attend classes to acquire further knowledge and improve practical skills that relate to the creative and visual world. Our adult learners have expressed a wish to thank the school for generating these opportunities. Course information and class times are listed on the back page of our termly school newsletter and information can also be obtained by telephoning the school.
Photographed here are some of our adult learners enjoying classes including: Exploring Art; Design House; Textiles; GCSE and A Level Photography; Digital Photography Beginners; Art Appreciation and GCSE and A Level Fine Art.

See what we did on World Book Day 2011 here.

Sports-mad BGHS student Kelsey Render has recently quizzed England cricketer Stuart Broad as part of a TV channel’s mentoring scheme. Kelsey, who was chosen from hundreds of applicants wanting to take part in the Aim High project, talked with the Ashes-winning star for a video piece on the website of Disney’s XD channel. The scheme puts children face-to-face with major figures in the hope of inspiring them to become the stars of tomorrow. Nottinghamshire cricketer Broad is one of several mentors. Others include England rugby union ace Toby Flood and rapper Jay Sean. Kelsey said “I’m a huge cricket fan so to be able to put a question to an England star like Stuart Broad was amazing. I think he’s a great role model and seeing the piece online is brilliant”. Kelsey is considering a future as a PE teacher and this will surely give her a boost in that direction. The vodcast can be seen at www.disneyxd.co.uk/aimhigh.

Year 12 student Helen Rhodes is the winner of the 2011 Rotary Young Leaders Award (RYLA). Helen had to go through a rigorous process to achieve this and was successful in her final interview with a panel consisting of three representatives from Batley Rotary, our former Head Girl Stephanie Budby and the 2010 recipient Rebecca Gowler. The panel commented on the high quality of all the applicants and thought that Helen demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities. Helen will now develop links with the local Rotary Association and will attend a week long leadership residential during the summer holidays. Congratulations Helen.

Helen Rhodes (right) with Head of Sixth David Cooper and Lead Student Ambassador Saiqah Bashir

Oh yes, more maths as the majority of Year10 and 11 students had their maths GSCE module at the start of March (worth 30% of their final GCSE ) and spent January’s Extended Learning Day ‘swotting up’.

For Year 10 this was their first maths module exam and we have been very impressed at the mature and sensible approach many have shown. There were no complaints (well none we heard of anyway!) even though they missed a double lesson of activities the rest of the year group were participating in. Good luck with those results this April girls!

Students from Year 9 took part in this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day event at Dewsbury Town Hall. Shannon Trew, Kelsey Render, Shauna Holdsworth, Sabba Akram and Janita Rauf have been working in conjunction with the Kirklees Museums and Galleries department to create and publicise a campaign along with three other Schools. The students decided to create a campaign called 'Books not Bullets' and they focussed on the untold stories of former child soldiers. They focussed on the eight Millennium Development Goals and the fact that child soldiers will not benefit from them as they will not gain access to primary education. The students were given the opportunity to speak to holocaust survivor Iby Knill, and former child soldier Dili Diey and they were taught about Richard Oastler and his successful 10 hour bill campaign. The students created a banner to display and they wrote and recorded a song to highlight the cause. The students also produced a presentation and helped create an animation with 'Zoom animation' which was shown on the night and can now be found on YouTube. In addition to this, many students in school helped to make ‘red hands’ as part of a global protest against the use of Child soldiers. Since the event, the students have received some lovely e-mails from community mentors and others present on the night. The Red Hands were presented by the Museums and Galleries Service to M.P for Dewsbury Simon Reevell, who will pass them on to the European Parliament. The project has now gained such momentum that it was featured in the Guardian Newspaper, with quotes from Sabba and Janita. The students learnt a lot from this project and found it an extremely enriching experience.

Towards then end of the last academic year Kirkwood Hospice contacted the school for help with the design of a new publicity leaflet. They wanted it to appeal to a larger sector of society as the facilities it provides are used by the whole of the local community. Our present year 13 Art Graphics students were just going to start their A2 work so as a group they developed a theme that would embrace a wide range of cultures quickly.
When they had some possible outcomes they gave them to Kirkwood to use. The new brochure has now been distributed to thousands of homes so the graphic art work of Emma Lawley, Shahina Mulla and Shakera Patel is now being seen all over West Yorkshire.
Congratulations to the students for all their hard work.

Five girls were selected to take part in 'Afternoon Tea', as a reward for having superb reports. All of the students present had either met or exceeded all their target grades, or had received the highest grade possible in all subjects for their attitude to learning. Their efforts were outstanding and they are a credit to their families.

The girls enjoyed tea (real tea leaves) and cakes with Mrs McCall, Mrs Sheldrake and Mr Goddard, and took home gift vouchers and bouquets. A very sophisticated afternoon!

In England nearly 15,000 schools have registered with ECO Schools over the last ten years. They are then assessed on their credentials as a sustainable, eco friendly school. 1,273 have achieved the Green Flag Award, 4,204 have silver award and 4883 have a bronze award. Only 247 schools have gained their 3rd Green Flag- and Batley Girls' is now one of these schools..
We are one of only 10 schools in Yorkshire to hold the Green Flag award- and it is the only high school: the other 9 are primary schools. The school is now working towards our 4th Green flag- only 129 schools throughout England have a fourth flag and most of them have been registered longer than us- but the school is determined to join this elite group.
'This, added to our position as one of only six national leading sustainable schools awarded by the National College for the Leadership of Schools, confirms our intention to make the school as sustainable as we can' said Deputy Head Teacher, Ray Henshaw. 'We try to model good practice to show our students the importance of caring for our environment and this third Green Flag is a reward for a lot of hard work from both staff, students and local residents who are determined to see the school transformed'.

How we have helped others …
Last year we raised £4,894 to show our respect for fellow human beings in need. Year 7 students raised over £900 in their “Skipathon” for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Already this school year we have raised £1,250 to help people suffering as a result of the floods in Pakistan.
In October we began a new charity initiative. All students in the school researched different charities and eventually decided that this year we will support: Martin House (our local charity); Tickled Pink (our national charity) and UNICEF (our international charity). We support our new charities by showing “respect” around school. Every time that we open doors for others, pick up litter, show special acts of kindness and lots of other things, we receive special tokens. Students put the tokens in the “Respectometer”. There are three sections – one for each charity. The tokens represent money for our charities. Money raised from our non-uniform days is used to allocate the money according to the tokens in the three charity sections. The amount of money a charity receives is directly proportional to the respect tokens in each box. The Respectometer was emptied recently and the funds raised will be allocated: Martin House Hospice £126.35; Breast Cancer £96.43; UNICEF £109.72.
Money raised at East meets West totalling £83.60 was sent to Education for All Morocco; the OWLS raised £80 at their Christmas lunch and this was sent to Help for Heroes; 8/9IR raised £23.21 for Martin House Hospice; Pink Week raised a total of £827.22 (pink shop/non uniform day/breast cancer ribbons) and we raised £366.95 for Children in Need.

With all of the Christmas festivities in full swing, it was time to consider the needs of others in our local community. For the fifth year running, students and staff at BGHS donated items of food as well as cash to help make Christmas a little more special for the elderly in our local area.
We were busy wrapping boxes, filling them to the brim with all the ingredients for an extra special Christmas and delivering them to the doors of the elderly in our local community. Delivery was made all the more difficult with the wintery weather and our student and staff volunteers were driven back by the hail and snow. Eventually, and with our very own Santa’s sleigh (the school mini bus) the hampers were delivered and have been well received throughout the community. We have been overwhelmed by the letters and phone calls of thanks from the recipients. The Batley News also received a letter from some of the residents to say how delighted they were with their gift.
We made in excess of 90 Christmas hampers and delivered them to the elderly in the surrounding area. We also donated money to the Batley Resource Centre and Batley Parish Church to help with their Christmas festivities.
Christmas really is a time for giving and at Batley Girls’ High School we feel that this is our opportunity to give something back to the local community.

OWLS have a late lunch

On Friday 7th January, the catering staff and eight students from 7EJH were busy making the final preparations for the OWLS Christmas lunch which had been postponed due to the heavy snow in December.
We could barely believe our eyes as the snow began falling again; small snowflakes at first, but then as the morning progressed, the snow became heavier and heavier. We anxiously waited as 12 o’clock approached, hoping that the snow would not spoil the party again.
The catering staff and the girls were thrilled when 46 local residents battled the elements and joined us in the hall for lunch. We all tucked into a delicious meal of traditional turkey, potatoes and vegetables followed by Christmas pudding and custard. The eight girls from 7EJH spent time chatting with the OWLS and helped serve and clear the lunch, and the girls then treated us to a few French carols they had learnt for East Meets West.
Before leaving, each of the lunch guests was given a small gift and Happy New Year card to take home with the best wishes of students in Year 7.
The lunch and gifts were paid for with money raised in December by students in Year 7 for the Annual Hamper Appeal, and the OWLS expressed their gratitude to all of those students. Well done girls!

Eleven AS History and RS students recently enjoyed a weekend in London. The students along with Ms Dunkley, Mr Goddard and Mrs Wilby travelled down by train on Friday evening (28th January) and for some of the students this was their first experience of travelling on the tube. Saturday was a packed day that started with a trip to a Hindu temple in Neasden. The students had the opportunity to visit the Mandir as well as talking to an important member of the Hindu community. They then viewed an exhibition on the development of Hinduism. The group then travelled across London to St Paul’s Cathedral and were wowed with its impressive architecture. Many chose to walk up the 500 steps to the Whispering Gallery and enjoyed tremendous views of London. After a short break for shopping there was then a walking tour of some the famous London landmarks which included: The Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and 10 Downing Street. The day ended with a Ghost Bus tour of London which concentrated on some of the more gory aspects of the capital’s history. Sunday morning was a little more relaxed with students enjoying some time in Covent Garden to shop and watch some of the street theatre before returning to the station for the train journey home.

Teachers here at Batley Girls’ High School are very pleased with our year 7 students and think that they have made a fantastic start to life at the school. Some students have said that by the end of the first day they felt that they really belonged here and couldn’t wait for the next day. Here are some of their thoughts:

All my new teachers are nice and friendly
Lessons are great
There is no need to be scared of coming here
I love the year 7 social area
There is a brand new canteen just for year 7
Older students are kind and help you
I have made lots of new friends
I’m in a class with my best friends
I feel that I fit in
I thought that lessons would be hard but they are fun

Being a Flagship school for Food for Life has brought us extra funding and supported our efforts to become a sustainable school in many ways. The Cooking Bus came to school on the 10th of January. It is part of the national drive for better, healthier, more carbon footprint and environmentally aware food consumption and purchase. As it is funded by Food for Life its visit was intended to provide opportunities for the wider community to enjoy its facilities.
All of the primary schools locally who were involved in Food for Life were invited to bring a group to do some cooking. Field Lane, Hyrstmount, Batley Parish and Park Road chose to bring a group and take advantage of the offer.
The response from Field Lane was:
"WOW!!! What a fantastic session! Our Field Lane Food Group (SNAG) were so amazed by the bus. Everything was so well organised. We had such a lot of fun.
Thank you so much for inviting us."
Representatives from different year groups in school all so had an opportunity to take part. Mrs Holt and Mrs Griggs thoroughly enjoyed the experience alongside the students. Mr Colgan and Mr Ellis have both requested hand cream after all the washing up they did after each group!
Our Mini Bus was again invaluable as Mrs Balmer was able to pick up and return each Primary group so everything went smoothly.
One afternoon representative’s from Kirklees catering including some school cooks has a session looking at specifically developing healthy, seasonal and attractive meals for their schools.
A year 11 student said after the experience of cooking on the bus:
"That was fun. We are so lucky in this school to have different opportunities offered to us"

Year 10 and 11 Mathematics GCSE modular results, out on Thursday 13th January, gave us day to remember. As 10x1 and x2 students received their results sheets, tentatively opening them and hardly daring to look, there were tears of joy as they learnt of the 9 grade A* s and 20 grade A s they had achieved between them. Not an unhappy face in sight.
Yr11 students were equally happy as many improved their modular results some by up to 2 grades, a consequence of having worked so hard in preparation for their resists, attending extra coaching and revision sessions.
Well done to all of you and good luck for the next set of exams on March 1st!

Mrs Hayley Taylor
Head of Mathematics - Achievement