Inari and I moved on to Benton Park School...

I was visiting the school to meet with David Foley, the new headteacher, who has brought a new energy and focus to the school. We were both impressed by the very calm and purposeful atmosphere around the school, the work going on in the classrooms we visited, the artwork and the student support centre which is making a real difference to some of their most vulnerable and special students.
Chris

I started the day with Inari Solanen, Dirk Gilleard and Ros Vahey and a group of colleagues from the Rothwell Family of Schools...

We were together for breakfast at Royds School and it was a stimulating and really enjoyable couple of hours with some talented headteacher colleagues who are doing some really inteesting work together as a cluster to address behavioural issues, transition and extended services.
Chris

I spent the day today with Corporate Leadership Team looking some of the challenges we are facing...

It was great to be able to look creatively at ways in which we can improve and develop our provision across the city to develop better services for children and young people, families and communities.
Chris

Annual CookIt! and WriteIt! competition

Entries are invited for the Guild of Food Writer’s annual CookIt! and WriteIt! competitions from children and students between 10 and 18 years of age...

These hotly contested competitions are a great way of encouraging the younger generation to have a greater interest in good food, something the members of the Guild of Food Writers feel passionate about.

The CookIt! competition is open to all young cooks aged between 10 and 14 years of age. The theme for 2009 is ‘High Five!’ and entrants are asked to create a delicious two-course family meal using five or more different fruit and vegetables. The importance of eating fruit and vegetables is well known, but the judges will be looking for entrants that can really show just how delicious they are too! The six finalists will be invited to London, with all expenses paid, on Thursday 4 June 2009, where in the kitchens of the BBC Good Food Magazine, they will prepare their meals for a panel of judges including Xanthe Clay (Saturday Telegraph and author of Recipes to Know by Heart) and Mike Robinson (of The Pot Kiln in Berkshire). There will be some great prizes to be won and the final will also feature in a future edition of BBC Good Food Magazine. Closing date for entries is Thursday 23 April 2009. For more details on the competition visit: www.gfw.co.uk/children/?sub=62.

For food writers of the future the WriteIt! competition is a must! Open to students aged between 15 and 18 years of age, the competition invites articles on a food related subject. The judging panel includes respected food writer and critic, Charles Campion, broadcaster and restaurateur, Thomasina Miers and Alex James, formerly of Blur and now a successful cheese maker and food columnist. The judges will be looking for a real passion and understanding of the chosen subject, whatever that might be! It could be as simple as a description of a person or place that inspired an interest in food and cooking or a review of a restaurant or a campaigning article on a food-related subject. There will be some great prizes to be won. Closing date for entries is Tuesday 3 February. For more details on the competition visit: www.gfw.co.uk/children/?sub=61.

I know that there must be loads of budding Jamie Oliver's and Delia Smith's out there and I hope that schools will encourage their students to enter this great competition.
Chris

My colleague Richard Boughey showed me an article in the Rothwell & District Record...

It was called 'Technology to transform teaching at Rodillian' and recorded interviews with students and teachers at Rodillian School about their new school half a term in. Jasmine Lunn from Year 10 was impressed with the new computers and the dance studio. Ella Briggs from Year 11 likes the new arrangements at lunchtime with split sessions providing better access to the new dining facilities. Jemima Rudd from Year 9 was so impressed that she couldn't find anything she didn't like. Jack Stone from Year 8 was similarly impressed by the bright building where everything works! Amber Haley from Year 7 liked the signs and the computers but felt squashed in corridors and staircases. Ms Harrington, Head of Performing Arts, highlighted how the new building had opened up opportunities, built teamwork and improved communication as well as improving behaviour.

The future is certainly bright and positive at Rodillian School.
Chris

I was asked to support the ongoing Beacon bid on tackling child poverty by attending the assessors visit to the East Leeds Family Learning Centre...

I had been asked to talk to the assessors about the work we are doing that contributes to this vitally important work. After the session I received this e-mail from Lisa Martin who is Service Development Manager in our Early Years Service.

"Dear all , Many thanks for yesterday. The stalls looked stunning and key points were communicated well to the assessors and addressed the things that they had said they wanted to hear more about. In addition, our work and services were really brought to life by the people who attended the focus groups. So thanks also to everyone who encouraged the children, young people and parents to come along and speak to the assessors. We will get formal feedback from the visit on 9/12/08 and our presentation to the assessors in London is on 12/1/09. However whether or not we achieve Beacon status for Tackling Child Poverty, the importance of acting in a more coordinated and focussed way has been underlined and the joint work that has been put into this bid will assist greatly the Child Poverty Outcome Group. Best wishes, Lisa."

I spoke to Paul Rogerson, Chief Executive of Leeds City Council, as well and he agreed that the marketplace was really impressive and a tremendous advert for the partnership working we are doing around some of our most vulnerable and disadvantaged families and whatever happens the young people and families showed us that what we are doing to tackle child poverty and close the gap is making a real difference. Well done to everyone involved.
Chris

I had a meeting with Liz Talmadge Executive Headteacher at the Central Leeds Learning Federation, Lori Beckett from Leeds Metropolitan University and Marie Brennan from the University of Adelaide...

There has been some really impressive work with Leeds Met at Little London Community Primary School and City of Leeds site of the Central Leeds Learning Federation and Lori and Liz were keen to talk about how we build on the success and where the work goes from here.
Chris

I started the day with Inari Solanen...

Inari is a colleague from Helsinki where she leads on Staff Development and Leadership. She is spending a week with us looking at our work to inform her programmes in Helsinki and helping us develop the 'Three Cities' project between Stockholm, Helsinki and Leeds.
Chris

Another week on the long march to Christmas with its bright lights, cold winds, magic, mystery and sparkle...

It's been a week full of social, political and historical significance with the appointment of Barack Obama as the first black president of the United States and as usual it has been a busy week here in Leeds.

I attended the celebration dinner for the new Leeds City College at Leeds Thomas Danby. It was a fantastic celebration of our young people who prepared, managed and served a wonderful meal for the assembled colleagues who have been involved in this long and interesting journey for FE provision in the city.

I also went to the 3rd assessment and development centre for aspiring headteachers at Weetwood Hall. It was organised by Peter Laurence and an army of colleagues and recognises the critical importance of leadership on our journey to brilliant and how hard we are working to encourage and support talented colleagues on their personal pathways to headship.
I didn't manage to get to the launch of the 'Building Bridges 2' intergenerational resource which was held at the Derek Fatchett Centre. However Dorothy Smith attended on my behalf and told me that it was fantastic and showcased the work of colleagues and students at City of Leeds School.

We celebrated '11 Million Takeover Day' at the banqueting suite at Elland Road working with young people from twelve secondary schools from across the city to look together at the key issues we are facing with building brilliant learning places, and to listen to them about what they want from us to help them achieve their goals. You can watch some of our inspriring young people talk about the difference we are making with them on our new BSF film at www.leeds.gov.uk/bsfinleedsfilm.

I finally attended the official launch of 'Striking' at Lawnswood School. Striking is a smoking cessation project developed between NHS Leeds, Education Leeds and three Leeds secondary schools to help young people avoid starting to smoke and to help those who are smokers give up.
At an awards ceremony at the Civic Hall, 46 of our looked after children and young people received awards and recognition for their fantastic achievements in the categories of sport, academic, arts, drama, improvement, and community/voluntary achievement. Many of the young people who attended had overcome difficult personal circumstances to achieve success in their academic lives, behaviour, attendance and commitment, and were praised by their teachers and peers alike. I was unfortunately unable to attend, but Ros Vahey went in my place and came away feeling truly moved by the achievements of those young people and those who work with them.

The highlight of my week was the visit by Mick Waters, director of curriculum at QCA, who delivered the 4th Education Leeds Annual Lecture in front of 300 talented, brilliant, gorgeous and wonderful colleagues at the banqueting suite at Elland Road. Mick was his usual brilliant self; held the audience captivated with his stories, energy and passion for the curriculum and learning, and made us all feel special. He reminded us that the future belongs to a very special kind of person with a very special kind of mind - creators and empathisers, pattern recognisers and meaning makers. These people - artists, inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers, consolers, big picture thinkers - are the future and we must help them re-imagine and re-engineer the curriculum to inspire our colleagues, energise our schools and to bring learning alive for all our children and young people.

And whatever you do this week...
"Think, reflect, research, analyse and learn;
Be visible, accessible and available;
Walk the talk and constantly connect with colleagues;
Tell stories; celebrate, praise and challenge;
Teach, coach and model behaviours you want to see;
Get a life... live, love and regularly escape;"

and above all...
"Do things to make people feel special."
Chris

I saw this in the Yorkshire Evening Post over the weekend...

"IS THIS Leeds's youngest head teacher?

Ten-year-old Caitlin Lawton took the hot seat at Whitecote Primary in Bramley yesterday, showing VIPs around the school and holding an assembly. Meanwhile, her classmates performed duties ranging from catering manager to IT technician, and even taught a physics lesson.The eye-opening day for the youngsters was part of a national campaign called 11 Million Takeover Day in which pupils were encouraged to help run their schools.DutiesAfter usual head Karen Allan stood down for a few hours, Caitlin's duties included overseeing a visit by local MP John Battle, who opened three new rooms, including a well-resourced ICT suite."

It is great to see good news in the YEP.

Chris