Read all about the latest news and activities happening, and reasons to celebrate our school in the below Headteacher's blog.
I was fortunate enough to be invited to present at the Pixl National Conference this week, where Amy Wilby and I were able to outline the range of strategies in school to promote our sense of belonging, improve attendance and of course progress. Of course whilst we may have been sharing this information, the work and imperative for this is shared across the school and I am very grateful for the constant dedication of our school leaders at all levels and of course the support of our associate staff to communicate and facilitate these initiatives.
It is this sense of a shared common goal that brings people together to create the sense of community we are constantly striving to have and reinforce. This week was an important week in the ‘More in Common’ calendar with a range of community events planned. Following the Run for Jo on Sunday we have the ‘Batley Bake Off’ held at UBHS and the ‘Step into the Future’ event, which I am delighted BGHS is able to host. BBEST schools will join together to reinforce that central message that “We have more in common than which divides us.” A fantastic way for us to finish this week.
The points below summarise the information shared with learners this week.
1. Attendance & The "Brilliance Bucket" Reward Scheme
Please remember that there is a strong link between high attendance and exam achievement. Appointments during school time must be avoided to limit any negative impact on your daughter's progress. Learners earn 20 premium reward points for achieving 100% weekly attendance.
Learners receive 10 points for completing weekly extra-curricular "Brilliance Activities". To log completed tasks and claim bonus rewards (such as chocolates or stickers), learners should visit Mr Scurr in the LRC on Mondays at breaktime.
Reward points accumulate over the school term. Learners who perform in the top 25% are designated as Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum VIPs and become eligible for special prize draws and bonus rewards.
2. School Standards & Expectations
As the weather warms up, form tutors will notify learners when blazers may be removed. However, shirts must remain tucked in at all times. Please ensure your child brings a refillable water bottle to school daily.
3. Extracurricular Opportunities & Reading Awards
To promote literacy across the curriculum, teachers are handing out "Reading Awards" on Class Charts to learners showing exceptional effort toward reading or vocabulary. Each week, five nominated learners (across Years 7–11) are drawn from a reward wheel to win a free book from the school's book vending machine.
4. Personal Development, Character & Wellbeing
Our reward culture is built around cultivating five core values: Character, Creativity, Collaboration, Community, and Connection. Learners are awarded positive points on Class Charts when they demonstrate these traits in class or around school grounds.
This week's curriculum focus celebrates Helen Keller Day (commemorating her birth on June 27, 1880), encouraging learners to reflect on determination, courage, and overcoming educational barriers.
One of my first assemblies delivered in school was about a group of trapeze artists called the “The Flying Wallendas”, who “ flew through the air, … like they were flying”. The key learning point was that nothing is effortless and such exercise requires dedication, self discipline and hours of practice to perfect the routine.
Such dedication and expertise were evident on Thursday 11 June with the performance of Matilda. The first musical performance within school was delivered expertly, with confident accomplished performances throughout. Of course this sort of performance does not happen without hours of rehearsals and the dedication of staff and learners alike. Congratulations to all involved.
The points below summarise the information shared with learners this week.
Key Information & Academic Expectations
Rewards, Enrichment & School Clubs
Careers, Digital Skills & Competitions
Personal Development & Culture
You may have heard the old proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child." In the world of modern education, that village isn’t just a nice concept—it is an absolute necessity.
Teachers and our associate staff cannot do it alone. Two of the most important ways members of our school community can enhance the educational offer is through active volunteering and collaborative parent forums. When these two elements thrive, schools don't just function—they flourish.
Our Stronger Together Parent Forum meets every half term between 10am and 12 noon and is an invaluable source of support and positive challenge. This has helped us clarify misconceptions and develop policies so that all members of our school community are working together. The latest initiative is to highlight the importance of attendance to discourage parents from taking trips and holidays in school time. We are always keen to see some new faces at our Stronger Together Forum and would welcome as many parents/carers as possible to attend our last meeting this academic year on Tuesday 23 June at 10am. If you are interested in attending please email Miss Aswat on aaswat@batleygirls.co.uk.
The points below summarise the information shared with learners this week.
1. Whole-School Initiatives & Announcements
2. Year Group Specific Updates & Leaderboards
3. The 5 Cs Community Positive Points (w/c 02.02.2026)
Learners accumulate positive points on Class Charts by demonstrating the school's core values: Character, Creativity, Collaboration, Community, and Connected.
We are delighted to welcome back staff and learners to school following the half term break. Year 11 and 13 learners are in the middle of their exams and it was perhaps fitting that the citizenship exam should be today as we unveiled our new ‘Book Hub’ boxes in the Learning Resource Centre.
Avid followers of this blog will recall that in April, I outlined the efforts of four of our year 11 learners who presented to Batley Multi Academy Trust Heads to establish a Book Hub so that learners could donate unwanted books for others to take home and keep and of course take some new exciting reading material for themselves. We will be swapping boxes with other Trust schools to try and provide a variety of materials over this half term and beyond. A similar idea had also been championed by our year 9 Kings Trust finalists who also focused on literacy. It is fantastic to see the level of importance our learners have placed on literacy and the simple pleasure associated with reading a good book.
The points below summarise the information shared with learners this week.
As we approach the end of our penultimate half term we wish our exam year groups (year 13 and 11) well as they start their study leave at the end of this week. This is always a poignant point in time with learners now seeking to study independently prior to each exam. Of course support remains in school at all times and if you are worried for any reasons please reach out to us.
Attendance continues to be our key area of focus in particular for our year 10 cohort. As parents and careers will recall, we have recently undertaken some learner voice and found that learners who have good attendance (above 98%) commented that they were frustrated at times in lessons where teachers are having to spend time explaining items that others had missed because they had been absent. We know that attendance below 95% means that learners are twice as likely not to achieve a grade 5 in their core subjects of Maths and English. These comments highlight the negative impact on others of poor attendance. Vitally important for our learners in year 10 as they start their final push for those GCSE exams. Please support us and your daughter by encouraging attendance to school every day.
The points below summarise the information shared with learners this week.
Gary Kibble
We encourage learners to practice the 5 Ways to Wellbeing daily to stay kind to themselves and others:
Late April and May becomes marathon running weather and we have had a number of staff taking part in both the Leeds and London Marathon and half marathon. Locally the Run for Jo (Jo referring to Jo Cox) will be organised for the tenth and final time. Historically Batley Multi Academy Trust has had a ‘team’ of staff who have participated and this year will be no different. It would be great if for this final event parents from across our school with learners could also be there, to either take part or just cheer people on providing a fitting end to this popular event.
Of course the event is to celebrate Jo’s legacy, someone who worked tirelessly to bring people together with her firm belief that ‘we have more in common that divides us.’ Words that continue to resonate locally and nationally. The event takes place at Oakwell Hall, Sunday 21 June 2026. The day will have a series of stalls and activities for everyone to enjoy with all proceeds going to the More in Common Batley and Spen to support local projects.
The points below summarise the information shared with learners this week.
The "Batley Girls’ Brilliance Bucket" program encourages learners to attend school and develop their skills through a tiered reward system:
Following the success of our Batley Brilliance event our year 9 learners went on to finish third in the final of the King’s Trust event, displaying real maturity and eloquence in presenting their business idea. All these opportunities enhance the experience of school for everyone and highlight the importance of good attendance to help develop these skills in order to participate effectively. Please continue to support us in school by encouraging your daughter to attend every day.
We look forward to our penultimate Stronger Together Parents Forum this week. These meetings allow us to work in partnership with our wider school community and enable us to respond to requests and shape our school policies collaboratively. This sort of feedback is invaluable and in line with this we would very much appreciate it if you could take the time to complete a short online survey which can be accessed through this link.
The points below summarise the information shared with learners this week.
We welcomed some of our Governors, Trustees and Members from Batley Multi Academy Trust into school on Thursday 23 April 2026. It was a real privilege to listen to a range of learners deliver their presentations from the Historical Society and The Kings Trust Competition. Refreshments were provided by our food technology learners and reader leaders were able to support the latest escape room in our LRC. A fantastic array of talent.
Talking to year 11 learners it is clear the anticipation of the written GCSE exams. It can be a worrying time for parents keen to support their child. Some useful tips for parents to help are:
1. Monitor one upmanship within friendship groups as others seek to log the amount of hours they have revised. Quality revision, in a quiet room mixing up subjects is key.
2. Encourage your child to prioritise sleep. Working all through the night is more damaging than they think.
3. Focus on the process, not the results. Help manage a quiet space, provide revision materials and help them manage the time.
4. Help them to eat well, avoid high processed sugary foods that will not help concentration.
Source: Times Newspaper
The points below summarise the information shared with learners this week.
Key School Notices & Attendance
- Attendance & Success: The school emphasizes a strong link between high attendance and exam achievement. Parents are encouraged to work with tutors if any issues are affecting a learner's attendance.
- Uniform & Equipment: Learners are reminded that while jumpers are optional in warmer weather, blazers must still be worn in corridors. All learners must arrive prepared with basic equipment like pens and pencils.
Learning & Achievement
- Literacy Expectations: Learners are expected to maintain high presentation standards, including underlining dates and titles, using correct punctuation, and making corrections in purple pen.
- Reading Rewards: Teachers are awarding ‘Reading Awards’ on Class Charts for excellent effort in reading and vocabulary. Five winners from Years 7-11 are chosen weekly to select a book from the school's vending machine.
- Homework Reminders: All homework is set via Class Charts. Failure to meet deadlines or quality standards will result in a ‘Study and Support’ (SAS) detention.
Opportunities & Personal Development
- Eco Committee: An introductory meeting for learners interested in school sustainability will be held this Friday at break time in Room 36.
- Job of the Week: This week’s focus is on becoming a Fire Safety Officer, requiring Grade 4+ in English, Maths, and Science.
- Cultural Awareness: This month’s personal development focus includes learning about Vesak (Buddha Day) and exploring human rights stories from Mozambique.
- After-School Clubs: PE clubs (Volleyball, Taekwondo, Mixed Sports, and Darts) and Key Stage 3 Art Club are currently running.
Learner Shout-Outs (Top Performers)
Each term, the top five learners in each year group for the '5 Cs' (Character, Creativity, Community, Connection, and Collaboration) are entered into a prize draw.
This week's assemblies will be on the theme of resilience and the determination required to overcome any barriers to be successful. This is exemplified by the entrepreneur and author Selina Brown, who has challenged discrimination in the publishing world to self publish her own books to become a preeminent children's author, now with a book deal of her own with Penguin Books. Thanks to these efforts Selina has been nominated for the Queen's reading heroes award.
One of the other nominees is an organisation promoting Bookhubs around the country, where communities can share books with each other. This idea has been taken up by four of our year 11 learners who presented to Batley Multi Academy Trust Heads to establish something similar across Trust schools. We hope this will help enable all children to have access to exciting reading materials at home.
The points below summarise the information shared with learners this week.
Career Focus: This week’s "Job of the Week" is a Helicopter Pilot, emphasizing the importance of Maths, English, and the ability to remain calm under pressure.
Following an extended holiday period we are delighted to have returned to school this week ready for the start of a busy term. This is a particularly pressured time for our year 13 and 11 learners as their exam period starts in earnest. On this note we were fortunate to secure the services of a local ‘lifecoach’ who has worked this week with some of our year 11 learners. The focus on recognising that certain aspects of our life can be stressful and how we can develop mechanisms to manage this. Important future life skills, but certainly something to help our learners about to sit external exams.
Of course for our younger year group high attendance (above 95%) is crucial for their success and we continue to be dismayed when families take extended breaks. Please avoid disadvantaging your daughter by taking holidays, visits or appointments in school time. We know that learners double their chances of securing at least a grade 5 or higher in English and Maths if their attendance is above 95%. Please support us and them by encouraging your daughter to be in school every day.
This summary highlights key information for parents from the Batley Girls' High School bulletin for the week of April 13, 2026:
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