Read all about the latest news and activities happening, and reasons to celebrate our school in the below Headteacher's blog.

• Developing Confidence and Resilience

  Mon 09 Mar 2026

  At UBHS, we believe confidence and resilience are fundamental life skills. Alongside strong academic outcomes, we are committed to nurturing learners who are self-assured, articulate and able to approach challenges with determination.

   

  These qualities are developed every day through high-quality teaching and learning. In classrooms, learners are encouraged to think deeply, collaborate with others and persevere when learning feels challenging. Our broad and balanced curriculum provides opportunities for success across academic, creative and practical subjects, helping learners to discover their strengths and build self-belief.

   

  Beyond lessons, experiences such as Forest School, activities in the Barn Yard, fun cooking sessions, extra-curricular clubs and educational visits further strengthen independence, communication, teamwork and problem-solving skills. By stepping outside their comfort zones, learners grow in confidence and resilience.

   

  Through this rich range of opportunities, we aim to ensure that every learner leaves UBHS not only well-qualified, but also well-prepared for the next stage of their education and future career.

   

  Mr Aman Singh Kang

   

  

• Making a Difference Beyond Our School Gates

  Mon 02 Mar 2026

  This week I want to highlight something that makes me incredibly proud to lead Upper Batley High School as Headteacher: our ‘amazing’ people.

   

  Every day, our staff work tirelessly to support our learners, families and the wider community. Their commitment goes far beyond academic success; it is rooted in care, compassion and a genuine desire to make a difference. What is particularly inspiring is that this commitment does not stop at the school gates.

   

  During February half-term, Mr Ismail Akram, PE teacher, travelled to The Gambia as part of a family-run charity initiative, Little Hands Building Futures. Thanks to the generosity of our learners, parents/carers and staff, over £1,400 was raised in a short space of time.

   

  Across seven days, more than 750 food parcels were distributed to families in rural communities near the Senegal border, including widows and people with disabilities. The team also supported two orphanages with food for Ramadan, delivered school supplies to a local school, and provided over 300 meals for hospital patients.

   

  Importantly, a donation from our school helped fund a food parcel for a family, providing enough support for at least a month. This is a direct reflection of our community’s generosity.

   

  We are proud to develop not only successful learners, but compassionate young people. Mr Akram’s work is a powerful example of our values in action. Thank you to everyone who contributed, your kindness has made a real difference.

   

  Mr Aman Singh Kang

  

• Our Brilliant Extracurricular Curriculum

  Mon 23 Feb 2026

  At Upper Batley High School, we strongly believe that a truly well-rounded education extends far beyond the classroom. Our extracurricular curriculum plays a vital role in nurturing creativity, building resilience and supporting our learners to fulfil their full potential. We are proud to offer a wide and varied programme of activities designed to meet the interests, talents and needs of all our young people.

   

  Sport - Building Teamwork and Resilience
  From football and basketball to table tennis, our sports programme provides learners with opportunities to develop their skills, improve physical fitness and enjoy the excitement of friendly competition. Beyond the physical benefits, participation in sport helps young people develop essential life skills such as teamwork, perseverance, self-discipline and leadership.

   

  Creative Arts - Unleashing Talent
  Our creative clubs offer learners the chance to explore and express their talents across a broad range of activities, including art, music, cookery and design. These sessions encourage creativity, collaboration and confidence, while providing a safe and supportive space for learners to celebrate their individuality. For many young people, these clubs ignite a lifelong passion for creativity and self-expression.

   

  Forest School - Building Confidence and Leadership
  Our Forest School curriculum provides rich outdoor learning experiences that support learners to grow both as individuals and as members of a team. Through practical, hands-on activities, young people develop confidence, resilience and self-esteem - qualities that are essential for success in school and beyond.

   

  We are incredibly proud of the wide range of opportunities available to learners in school, and we actively encourage all young people to engage with our extracurricular offer. Whether discovering a hidden talent, developing new skills or simply enjoying a hobby, these experiences enrich learners’ school lives and make a powerful contribution to their personal development.

   

  Aman Singh Kang

   

  

• Your Views Make a Difference

  Mon 09 Feb 2026

  At Upper Batley High School, we place great value on the feedback we receive from all our stakeholders and use it carefully to shape the improvements we make. We are a rapidly improving school, committed to using high-impact, evidence-informed research and development approaches to continually strengthen teaching and learning. We are fortunate to have a fantastic team of colleagues who work tirelessly to provide our young people with a first-class education, strong pastoral care and a wide range of enriching opportunities.
   

  As Headteacher, I am keen to hear the views of all our parents and carers as we continue on this journey of improvement. We would be grateful if you could take a few minutes to complete a short survey, sharing your experiences of the school and highlighting areas where we can develop further. Your feedback is invaluable and will help us to work together to provide an even better educational experience for the amazing learners in our community.

   

  Our learners deserve the very best education, and we remain fully committed to delivering this every day through the dedication of our brilliant staff team and the high-quality teaching that takes place across the school.
   

  Feedback from a parent/carer in our last survey:
  “I have nothing other than praise for all the staff at UBHS. My son is in year 10 and has grown in confidence, made great progress, has lovely friends and been provided with amazing opportunities by the school staff over the last 3 and half years.” - Mrs D
   

  “The pastoral care at the school is absolutely brilliant. We have an 11-year-old who is in year 7 and the transition from primary to secondary has been so smooth for him. He loves the school and the great staff who teach him here.” -  Ms J
   

  Please take a few moments to provide us with your honest and constructive feedback so that we can continue to improve and move forward together.
   

  Click here to complete the survey.
   

  Mr Aman Singh Kang

   

  

• Smart learning at Upper Batley High School

  Mon 02 Feb 2026

  At Upper Batley High School, we are committed to ensuring every learner develops the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to succeed. Our young people are supported by a dedicated and highly skilled staff team who create a positive learning environment where learners are challenged, encouraged and inspired to do their best.

   

  High-quality teaching across the school promotes deep thinking, curiosity and independence. Lessons are carefully planned to stretch learners’ understanding and help them make strong connections in their learning.

   

  We place great importance on the science behind how learners learn. Through a strong focus on retrieval practice, recall and metacognition, and by using evidence-informed approaches from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), we help young people to retain knowledge, reflect on their learning and make sustained progress over time.

   

  Parents/carers play an important role in supporting learning at home. Encouraging regular routines, talking about learning and helping young people to recall and explain what they have learned all strengthen understanding and confidence. By working together, we ensure every learner is supported to achieve their full potential.

   

  Aman Singh Kang

   

  

• Excellence in Teaching and Learning

  Mon 26 Jan 2026

  John Dewey famously observed that “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” This sentiment captures what we strive for each day at Upper Batley High School- learning that is purposeful, challenging and genuinely transformative for every child.

   

  We place great importance on the quality of teaching across the school. Our committed and highly skilled staff work tirelessly to design lessons that spark curiosity while also demanding careful thought and perseverance. Learning is not passive; learners are encouraged to think hard, explore ideas in depth and apply their knowledge in meaningful ways. Through this approach, we aim to nurture children who are motivated, resilient and increasingly confident in working on their own.

   

  Our curriculum is carefully planned to be both creative and rigorous. It equips learners with essential skills that support them not only in their current learning, but also as they move forward into later education and beyond. We want our learners to understand that effort matters, that challenges are valuable, and that success often comes from sustained practice and reflection.

   

  Teaching across the school is underpinned by strong educational research. We deliberately build in opportunities for learners to revisit prior learning, explain their thinking and reflect on what strategies help them succeed. By explicitly teaching children how learning works, we empower them to become more self-aware, thoughtful and independent learners.

   

  A key feature of classroom life is our focus on purposeful independence. Learners are regularly given time to grapple with tasks on their own, without immediate adult support. This expectation encourages perseverance, deepens understanding and helps children recognise that they are capable of overcoming difficulties through careful thinking and determination.

   

  Above all, we believe every child has the potential to excel. By fostering curiosity, encouraging thoughtful questioning and promoting high expectations, we help learners develop confidence in their abilities and ambition for their futures. This is evident in the quality of work produced, the richness of classroom dialogue and the many successes we celebrate together.

   

  Thank you for your ongoing support in helping our learners to aim high, embrace challenges and flourish.

   

  Aman Singh Kang

  

• We have High Expectations at All Times

  Mon 19 Jan 2026

  At our school, our core values; Believe, Achieve, Succeed are at the heart of everything we do. Our positive and ambitious school culture encourages every learner to be the very best version of themselves, each and every day.

   

  Our staff team works hard to build learners’ confidence, develop their essential skills, and support them to grow and flourish, not just in their learning, but in life. We know that high expectations are key to success. We expect learners to have good attendance, 98% (no more than 4 days missed in a year), work hard, behave respectfully, and make the right choices. In return, we are committed to recognising and celebrating those who consistently meet these expectations.

   

  Learners who demonstrate excellent conduct, positive behaviour, strong progress, and good attendance are rewarded in a variety of ways. At the end of each term, we hold our End of Term Rewards Celebrations, where those who have met our high standards are invited to take part in special activities and events. In addition, learners can use their achievement points towards a range of other rewards throughout the year. This approach ensures that effort, commitment, and positive choices are always noticed and valued.

   

  By maintaining high standards and celebrating success, we continue to foster a school culture where every learner is supported, challenged, and encouraged to achieve their very best.
  
  Aman Singh Kang

  

• Why Every Day Counts: Attendance, Achievement and Opportunity

  Mon 12 Jan 2026

  Regular school attendance is one of the strongest predictors of a young person’s success. Being in school every day is not simply about compliance – it is about ensuring learners have full access to teaching, support, routines and relationships that help them thrive academically and personally.

   

  When learners attend consistently, they make stronger progress, retain learning more securely and are better prepared for assessments. Over time, this adds up. Research and national data are clear: learners with higher attendance achieve better GCSE outcomes, opening doors to further education, training and employment. In contrast, lower attendance is closely linked to weaker results, reduced qualifications and, later in life, lower earning potential.

   

  It is important to understand just how quickly learning time can be lost. An attendance rate of 90% means a learner misses the equivalent of half a day every week which is almost 4 full weeks of learning across a school year. These gaps are difficult to close, particularly in subjects where knowledge builds lesson by lesson. Missing even a small amount of learning can leave learners feeling behind, less confident and more likely to disengage.

   

  We are proud to recognise and reward learners who demonstrate commitment to both learning and behaviour. This term, learners who achieve 98% attendance or above and receive one or fewer behaviour points will be invited to take part in our end of term celebration reward events. These events are a way of saying thank you for sustained effort, positive choices and dedication to learning, and we want as many learners as possible to enjoy them.

   

  Excellent attendance is a partnership between home and school. By working together to prioritise daily attendance, we can give every young person the strongest possible chance to succeed in their learning.

   

  Aman Singh Kang

  

• A New Year and a Fresh Start

  Mon 05 Jan 2026

  Happy New Year and a very warm welcome back to all our learners and families. We hope the year has started well for you and that everyone returned refreshed and ready for the term ahead.

   

  It has been wonderful to welcome learners back into school and to see the positive, purposeful atmosphere across our community. Our learners have returned committed, hardworking and with a strong desire to do well, and this has been evident in classrooms, corridors and assemblies. They have quickly re-established routines and are approaching their learning with focus, maturity and ambition.

   

  We began the term with year group assemblies on Monday morning, where we reinforced the school’s high expectations and the importance of always presenting the very best version of ourselves. Looking ahead, we are also pleased to share that next term we will be introducing more Reward Days to celebrate those learners who consistently meet our expectations. Learners with above 98% attendance and low behaviour points will be recognised and rewarded for their commitment and positive choices. We believe it is vital to celebrate success and to acknowledge those who strive to do the right thing every day.

   

  We had an absolutely brilliant 2025, and the start to this year gives us every confidence that we can build on that success. Thank you, as always, for your continued support. Together, we look forward to making 2026 a fantastic year for everyone in our school community.

   

  Aman Singh Kang

   

  

• Goodbye 2025 and Welcome 2026

  Fri 19 Dec 2025

  As we say goodbye to 2025 and look ahead to 2026, I would like to reflect on what has been a truly remarkable year for our school community and to thank parents and carers for your continued and valued support.

   

  Although this academic year began in September with the deeply distressing news that our Forest School provision had been deliberately destroyed by vandalism, the response from staff, learners, parents and carers, governors and partners was both swift and inspiring. While this was a significant loss, what could have remained a wholly negative experience instead brought our community closer together, united by a shared sense of purpose and determination.

   

  Overall, 2025 has been a year of many successes. These include a record number of admission applications, with the school now oversubscribed and operating with long waiting lists; national and DfE (Department for Education) recognition for our work on parental engagement; visits from local and international educational leaders, including colleagues from as far afield as India; and significant fundraising to support the rebuilding of our Forest School. We were also proud to welcome Baroness Royall, whose visit resulted in an invitation for our learners to visit the Houses of Parliament. Most recently, the school was awarded the Leading Parent Partnership Award, recognising the strength of our work with families.

   

  I would like to take this opportunity to thank parents and carers once again for the vital role you play in supporting our school and our learners. Have a lovely winter break and here’s making 2026 a fantastic year for everyone in our community.

   

  Aman Singh Kang