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Governor Profiles

Alistair Hartley (Chair)

I am very pleased to be the current chair of the full governing body at Batley Grammar School. I have been a governor since 2012 and the chair since 2014.

I currently attend the finance and general purposes committee; the estates committee and the HR and staffing committee.

I am particularly pleased to continue my association with the school; I am a past student of the school, here from 1983-1989. My eldest son attended the school and is presently at university and my youngest son is currently in the secondary phase at Batley Grammar School.

I run my own engineering business locally and feel that I can use many of the skills needed to run a business to help govern the school on its exciting journey from good to outstanding.

I encourage our full governing body to be both supportive of the school and appropriately challenging and to be fully committed to staff development and student outcomes.

This is a particularly exciting time to be involved with the school and its future strategic development and planning as Batley Grammar School merges with and becomes part of the Batley Multi Academy Trust for September 2019. This is such a really positive move for our local schools and wider community.

Jonathan Kidd (Deputy Chair)

I am a Chartered Surveyor and have worked at Holroyd, Son & Pickersgill since 1984.

I live in Dewsbury and am married with three children, two in their late teens and a youngster. I keep healthy by playing football in the Huddersfield District League.

I became a governor of the school to help support the transition to free school and as a parent I’m interested in the education process and this provides me with the perfect opportunity to understand and provide guidance where needed in an historic school in an area where I have worked for over 30 years.

Mike Cook

I am very pleased to be able to continue my long association with Batley Grammar School.

I have been a governor since September 2016 and currently I chair the Curriculum, Standards, Pastoral and Community Committee.

I taught physics at the school and held a number of other posts there spanning 21 years, including 5 years as Deputy Head. Both my children attended Batley Grammar School and enjoyed an exceptionally positive experience, and all three of us were part of the Combined Cadet Force. I am keen to do what I can to help make sure the provision at Batley Grammar School continues to aspire to the highest possible standards, whilst responding flexibly and creatively to the new challenges that face schools and academies all the time.

I have a first-hand understanding of school leadership and the local educational landscape, as a former Headteacher of a large secondary academy; one of the first 32 outstanding convertor academies in England and the first in Kirklees. I was vice-chairman of the Kirklees Schools’ Forum and a member of the Kirklees Place-Planning and Admissions committee.

Beyond the local arena, alongside my day job I also worked as a Research Associate for the National College for School Leadership, and contributed to the development of the Framework for Exceptional Education, a programme operated by the Schools, Students and Teachers Network (SSAT) Leading Edge group.

I have prior experience as a member of the Independent Schools Inspectorate and more recent experience as a contracted inspector participating in Ofsted inspections of maintained schools and academies. I have recently returned to marking summer examinations for one of the awarding bodies. 

Ebrahim Suleman

I settled in Batley after coming from Zimbabwe to study.

I qualified as a Chartered Accountant, and the office I worked from had a governor at the school.

I was introduced to the school and got involved as a governor and I am now the Chair of the Finance committee at the school. My daughter greatly benefited from attending the school and went on to university.

As a governor I have a keen interest in seeing the school continue to flourish, offer local people access to good quality education and be financially stable.

 Oliver Tiplady

My name is Oliver Tiplady. I have been on the Governing Body of Batley Grammar School since 2016 and currently sit on the Curriculum, Standards & Pastoral Committee.

A former pupil of Batley Grammar School, I have been a primary school teacher for over 28 years, serving schools in the Batley area. My experience in this field is one of the reasons why I was asked to be the link Governor to the Primary Phase. In this role, I liaise closely with the Director of Primary Phase and her staff, conducting regular visits to observe teaching, discuss standards, scrutinise data and of course, speak to the children.

During my time as a primary school teacher, I have taken on numerous roles within school and also within Kirklees. As well as being co-ordinator for all of the main core subjects - English, Maths and Science - I have also overseen ICT, DT, RE, SENDCO and Safeguarding. For many years, I was a Kirklees lead teacher for mathematics and currently I am an authority moderator for writing within Year 6. This is a position I have filled for 6 years. I am also the creator of Jungle Maths, Planet Maths and Comet Maths – published schemes aimed at increasing mental maths fluency across the ability range. These exercises are used extensively throughout Kirklees and beyond.

I have also been involved in the training of numerous post graduate student teachers and NQTs. I have worked very closely with Leeds University, interviewing prospective candidates and even lecturing post graduate students on the finer points of Government SATs tests.

My experience as a school governor is extensive. I was the staff governor at my own place of work for 12 years before stepping down in 2017. I therefore hope to bring some valuable experience to the Governing Body of Batley Grammar School. Indeed, I have been closely linked to the school for many years. I am a director of the Batley Grammar School Foundation Trust, have twice been President of the Batelians’ Association (for alumni) and am currently Secretary of the same group. Over the years, we have funded countless projects for the school, all with the proceeds of various events held. I am proud to have maintained such links with the school and I am committed to serving the school in any way I can.

Outside of work, I am a keen golfer (with a decent handicap) and also enjoy reading (classic fiction), film, live music and theatre.

Helene Ghosh

I’m a parent governor and attend the estates, HR and staffing committees for the school. In a professional capacity, I work for BT, as a Global HR Director, supporting the Global Product and Portfolio teams; as well as being the regional HRD for AMEA.  I have a master’s degree in Strategic Human Resource Management, and am a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

As a family we have strong connections to the school, as my husband and sons are both past, and present, pupils of the school, with my husband also being a trustee. I am keen to use my skills to help improve standards within the school and to provide support as the school becomes part of the Batley Multi Academy Trust. Outside of work, we are a very active family, and like to go camping, canoeing, mountain biking and walking.

I support and promote Batley Grammar School and Priestley House within the town and wider area.

Aadil Laher

As an Old Batelian, I am very pleased to have the opportunity to serve the school as a governor. 

I am an experienced educational professional with over 15 years of experience in the field. I am currently  an Assistant Principal for a school in a large Multi Academy Trust. I have a wealth of knowledge and expertise to draw upon to support the school. I am proud that my children attend the school in the primary phase. 

As a governor, I sit on the finance subcommittee, and I am keen to see the school support the local community by providing our students with a first class education.