Gary joined Batley Girls’ High School as Headteacher 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 there. 

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

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.​​​​​​

Debbie’s role is to inspire students to accomplish beyond their expectations and to foster a motivation that stays with them throughout their lives. She has been at the school since 2000 and, in working here, has been able to develop in an environment that shares the same ethos and values. Here at the school, we model best-practice of how to treat others and Debbie is a firm believer that everyone has something of value to contribute.

She demonstrates that inspiring students is integral to their success and encourages them to fulfil their potential. Debbie is mindful that as role models we need to connect on multiple levels; be committed yet disciplined in our approach, and work alongside students and staff to deliver the best outcomes for all. Debbie attained her NPQH in 2018, which demonstrates her commitment to her own learning and dedication to the team here.

Gareth has undertaken a variety of pastoral and curriculum leadership roles since 2003, when he joined the school, as well as serving as a staff representative on the Board of Governors 2011-2017. His current role allows him to focus on maintaining high standards of behaviour, rewarding students that get it right, and to help create a school where all students feel safe, happy and want to attend.

Gareth holds the school’s relationship with parents in high regard and he is keen to continue developing strong channels of communication to ensure they are fully aware of their child's progress. He has introduced a number of school apps to help facilitate this open interaction. Gareth is extremely proud of the school and is committed to creating the best possible environment for everyone, which is further demonstrated by him attaining an NPQH in August 2023.

Michelle has previously worked in schools in the Midlands, Cheshire and Kirklees before joining the team here as Head of Science in 2004. She then became Head of Faculty, which broadened her role and responsibilities to other subject areas including PE, DT, Applied Learning and Social Sciences.

Michelle firmly believes in learning from the good practice of others and has benefited from the wealth of experience, teamed with enthusiasm, for teaching and learning pedagogy here at the school. She has always had a keen interest in the ‘attainment gap’ throughout her teaching career and is driven by a desire to ensure learning and achievement is as inclusive as possible.

Her National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership project also had this theme at its heart. This has naturally paved the way for her role as Assistant Head today, working alongside the Achievement  Leaders to encourage all students to seek 'Every Opportunity for Excellence' in their academic studies and beyond. 

Amy joined the school in 2005 in a behaviour support role, helping students who struggled to access the mainstream curriculum. She then trained as a teacher here in 2009 and since then she has gone on to lead a variety of teams including PSHCE at Key Stage 3, History, and Humanities, as well as Year 11.

Since 2016, Amy has led the Humanities department and her area of focus is ‘Stretch and Challenge’ for higher ability as well as achievement for all. She attained her National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership (NPQSL) which had an emphasis on higher ability learners and strategies to help them meet their potential. She has also worked as a specialist leader in education for several years, supporting schools in our Trust as well as across Kirklees.

Through the ‘Raising Aspiration, Realising Ambition’ project, which developed student leadership and mentoring to improve their self-confidence and improve awareness of their career options and skills; Amy worked with students, staff and industry mentors to inspire our students to explore the breadth of opportunities available to them in their future careers.

She has always been passionate about students being able to realise their ambitions through both the curriculum as well as extracurricular opportunities and her master’s degree focussed on the importance of cultural capital. It is therefore not surprising that Amy now leads on personal development; ensuring our students are well prepared for life outside of school and that they have the skills they need to achieve their goals.

Susy joined BGHS in 2022 having taught since 2001. She has a wealth of experience from working in primary and secondary schools (one incorporating a Learning Resource Base), an independent school, a provision for students at risk of exclusion from mainstream and in a Specialist SEMH Provision.

Since 2013, Susy has held middle and senior leadership roles in schools across three Local Authorities, with responsibility for SEND, Inclusion and Pastoral Care. She is passionate about enabling every student to be fully included in every aspect of school life. Susy thrives on enabling students to overcome any barriers to learning and celebrates their successes. She empowers our students to meet and exceed their aspirations and achieve their individual goals.
 

Susy has a number of post graduate qualifications including School Leadership, Inclusive Education, National Award for Special Educational Needs Co-ordination, (NASENCO) and the National Professional Qualification for Senior Leaders, (NQPSL). She has a Diploma in Psychology, is a Specialist Leader of Education (SLE) and has completed the Transforming Senior Leaders Award. Susy has successfully supported Leeds schools to improve, whilst Director of SEND in a large Leeds Academy, and continues to provide  input to Teacher Training at Leeds Trinity University.​​​​​

Emma’s teaching career began in 2010 as a participant of the Teach First Teacher Training programme where she qualified at an inner-city school in Manchester. She has always been committed to addressing educational disadvantage by improving the life chances of all students within the school community. Emma wholeheartedly believes that improving students’ literacy is the most effective way to address educational disadvantage and equip students with the key skills which they need to succeed in life beyond the school gates.

She joined Batley Girls’ High School in 2012 and has held a range of roles relating to student progress and pedagogy, working alongside colleagues across the school, to drive improvements in these areas. In 2017, she had the opportunity to teach international students English in Brisbane, Australia, enabling her to expand her knowledge of how to support students who have English as an additional language.

Upon her return in 2019, Emma worked across the Trust as a conduit for sharing the outstanding practice which is taking place within our family of schools relating to English and Literacy. She has also worked across Kirklees as a Specialist Leader in Education and thoroughly enjoys attending Teaching and Learning conferences to keep abreast of recent educational research and innovative practices.

Sophie joined the school in 2019; having completed her teacher training through the Schools Direct Programme, at a school in Barnsley where she continued working for three more years and became Head of Biology. Here at Batley Girls' High School she has previously led on Key Stage 3 Science and STEM and particularly enjoys teaching Biology at A Level as this allows her to inspire those students with an interest in and a talent for STEM. She is truly passionate about, and a strong advocate for, young women pursuing careers in STEM.

In April 2021, Sophie became Year 10 Achievement Lead, which challenged her in new ways as she was able to get to know the students on another level and support them from a whole school perspective. This led her on a natural pathway to her current role as Associate Head where, as an ardent ambassador for the school's vision, values and ethos, she can have an impact on how this enriches the student experience.

Iffat has been at the school since 1997 and during this time she has gained a wealth of experience and understanding across a variety of educational areas. Her role has always been central to the support and encouragement of our young people to be inspired and achieve their full potential. 

As an experienced Careers Leader, Iffat has the opportunity to work across all curriculum areas, with progress leaders and PSHE coordinators to implement successful careers programmes and initiatives for both BGHS and BG6. From 2008-2010 Iffat was seconded to work with Kirklees LEA for two years as the Aim Higher Project Officer,  which led to development work with a range of employers and higher education providers. The strength of these connections and maintenance of these relationships have consequently supported and become embedded in our careers programme .

Iffat’s experience has also enabled her to develop strategies to improve parental and wider community engagement. She plays a key role working in partnership with students, parents, the community and staff to create successful life-long learners as well as coordinating the Stronger Together Parents/Carers' group.​​