I’ve been reflecting on the progress we’ve made...

We have actually had another great year, the Corporate Assessment says we are good and most things are ok, but progress on the important things aren’t exactly as it should be, there are frustrations and to be totally honest there are times when I wish I was somewhere else. While I recognise that I have a great job, like you I suspect not everything in my life is creative or fun, there are things that are fragile, places where progress is depressingly slow and things that are not going the way we would hope. Sadly I don’t look forward with real pleasure to every meeting and I don’t love every colleague, every head teacher and every councillor but that’s life!

This weekend and this half-term, I am going to forget about Education Leeds, forget about work, forget the highs and lows we are experiencing at the moment. Instead, I am going to remember that I am a partner, a parent, a friend to some important people and recognise that the weekend and the holiday is a time for them.

I am going to:

• enjoy myself;
• leave the ‘work me’ at work;
• be myself for once;
• accept the criticism;
• clean the toilet;
• talk to the people I love and care about;
• talk nicely in case I have to eat my words.

Take care.

Chris

e-mail free Fridays?

One thing I have learnt is how hard it is to get people to respond...

According to the sociologist Stanley Milgram, everyone in the world can be reached through a short chain of social acquaintances. The world is certainly getting smaller and smaller and more interconnected with the advances in digital networks and mobile communications. However as our inboxes clog, and the superhighway of digital bits and bytes draws us ever closer we must be careful that we don’t lose the personal, the face to face, the people bit of what we do.

As you know I love e-mail; it’s efficient and effective but totally impersonal, lacking emotion, inflection and intent and dangerous because it is open to misunderstanding and mistrust. I read over the weekend that even our colleagues at Intel the chip makers get fed up with e-mail and they have decided to have an e-mail free Friday in the hope that it will cut down traffic by 20%. So why don’t we try it. Every Friday let’s use email as little as possible. Let’s pick up the phone, walk along the corridor, climb the stairs and make it a day where we all talk to each other. After all conversation makes us what we are.
Chris

We can all make a real difference but we must always remember that actions speak louder than words. Whether it is the 14 – 19 agenda or the new inclusion strategy or our work with looked after children; hard times and tough issues require bold ideas, big ideas, brilliant ideas. But while ideas are incredibly important the thing that really matters is action, and the impact and the outcomes we achieve. So don’t just talk about our brilliant ideas.. start now.. don’t wait for permission.. find an excuse and do something.. do anything.. but get going. The important thing is that we do something, do anything, risk anything, try anything to make that difference. And occasionally of course we will make mistakes, get things wrong and sometimes muck things up big time.. but always driven by a genuine and passionate desire to make a difference for children and young people and our schools.

We must all break down the walls and the barriers which limit creativity and stubbornly maintain the status quo and limit our opportunities to make that step change in outcomes. We must build on the real excellence in the system and challenge the systems and hierarchies that nourish and perpetuate the irrelevant, the second rate and the obsolete.

So, what have you done in the last week..today..in the last two hours..in the last damn meeting..to cut out the rubbish, to knock down the walls, to focus on the things that really matter and to do the things that will really make a difference!

We can all make a real difference, so what is holding you back…
…just do it!
Chris

Don’t the weeks go quickly… I am told it’s a sure sign that I am getting older…

Whatever anyone says, Education Leeds has become a brilliant organisation and the most impressive thing about it is the combination of strong, energetic, dynamic and distributed leadership coupled to trusting, empowered and powerful relationships with our schools and our partners! We must always remember that ours is a people business where relationships and people really matter….in fact they are probably the only things that really matter in the end.

I have had another interesting half-term… challenging, annoying, frustrating, refreshing, encouraging, enlightening and uplifting… in roughly equal measures. We must all continue to listen to our colleagues and our critics and to learn from them and from our successes and our mistakes. We must continue to carefully coach, nurture and release the enormous talent that exists in our colleagues, in our teams, in our schools and across the Children’s Services world! That way we will continue to really make a difference and enable and empower our colleagues to do the things that need doing… the simple things, the straight-forward things, the necessary things, the hard things and the sometimes downright impossible things.

We must always remember that outcomes are everything. It is only as a result of our focused, determined and disciplined actions that we will have an impact and achieve the outcomes we want for our children and young people and ensure that they are all happy, healthy, safe and successful.

The agenda is enormous... developing new and improved models of leadership and governance, supporting underperforming and disaffected young people, tackling underperforming and coasting schools, driving forward with the 'Building Schools for the Future' programme, delivering the 14 - 19 transformational programme and making our schools more inclusive and effective as learning places at the heart of healthy, thriving and harmonious communities. Whatever you do after half-term, do something to take this agenda forward and to improve outcomes for children and young people here in Leeds!

Keep the faith
Chris

I received this e-mail from my colleague Tracy Dell, Headteacher at Methley Primary School...

"Hi Chris, Today Radio 4 came to school to record some of our work on visualisation for their Learning Curve programme-it will be screened on 29th October at 9pm. How privileged I felt and humbled by watching/listening to the staff and pupils and hearing them verbalise what an amazing learning culture we have built together. They were all truly brilliant! They owned everything we have nurtured and strived to achieve and this is only the beginning!!
Thank you for the letter about Swedish visitors-it was a pleasure-they are great! Tracy"

Tracy runs a brilliant little primary school which is doing so much to release the magic.

Chris

Message of the Week Eight

As you know I am attracted by beautiful systems and the need to make things simple. At times our lives can be very complicated, and yet we sometimes add to this by making things even more complex and more difficult for each other. The real trouble with common sense is that it isn’t all that common and, despite the fact that the world is full of experienced, skilled and clever people even the best of us can make mistakes. But it doesn’t have to be that way and it is reassuring to know that the best ideas are often the simplest.

This last week has been a really hard and incredibly busy one, but a week as always where I have learnt a lot. My life as always was full of meetings… councillors, headteachers, partners and colleagues. I was invited to speak at a number of events… the Rotary Club of Headingley, the Primary Headteachers Induction conference and the Challenging Racism Together event which was organised with the trade unions. We had an overnight session with the Education Leeds Board to look at the future and our strategic priorities and I had dinner with colleagues from RM and the chief executive of the Kunskapsskolan, a company running schools in Sweden. I also attended the Annual CBI regional dinner as the guest of Maxine Room the new chief executive and principal at Park Lane College. As usual, I visited some great schools… Cookridge Holy Trinity CE Primary School, Drighlington Primary School and Hovingham Primary School… where talented colleagues are making a real difference. I also attended meetings about the Joint Area Review; our children’s services inspection which takes place later this term with a focus on looked after children, children with disabilities, safeguarding, mental health services and 14 – 19 provision! I think, however, that the highlight of my week was an invitation to take part in the ‘Civic Gospel’ seminar which formed a small part of the wonderful Sikh Religious, Educational and Interfaith event at Roundhay Park.

This is simply going to be another incredible few months and we need to work even harder to engage and focus the potential within Education Leeds and our schools if we are to secure better outcomes for children and young people. As a learning organisation we must face up to the challenges of the Annual Performance Assessment, the Joint Area Review, the 14 – 19 Review, the new Inclusive Learning Strategy, Academies, shifting floor targets, progression targets and more Ofsted inspections. We must all feel a real sense of ownership and responsibility for all of this agenda, the issues and the problems we face together and we must all constantly learn from everything that we do.

I re-read a book over the weekend called Simply Brilliant by Fergus O’Connell which outlined the competitive advantage of common sense. I have adapted his principles as follows:
· most things are simple;
· know what you are trying to do;
· work to a plan and stick to it;
· things don’t get done unless you do them;
· things rarely turn out as you expect;
· look at things from others’ points of view; and
· work to get things done in the shortest possible time.
Remember to keep it simple and be your brilliant best.
Chris

My colleague Richard Jerome, Area Manager of the Learning Communities Team North-East based at the North-East City Learning Centre at Allerton Grange contacted me about some brilliant news...

"Dear Chris, I am delighted to be able to inform you that Catriona MacLeod, based at North-East Leeds City Learning Centre and a star of Aimhigher, has been awarded the prestigious Chartered Institute of Linguists’ Special Commendation. She is to be presented with the trophy, originally given by Professor David Crystal, by HRH Prince Michael on 15th November 2007 in London in recognition of her work in ‘fostering the study of languages’.

This follows our recent success with North-East Leeds City Learning Centre being recognised as a Yorkshire and Humber Business Language Champion by what was the DFES and CILT (National Centre for Languages). Cat’s award is totally deserved and it’s good that her outstanding work in Leeds has received national recognition. Best wishes. Richard."

We are so lucky to be working with so many talented, brilliant, gorgeous and wonderful colleagues here in Leeds.
Chris

My colleague Hannah Lamplugh is Participation Officer in the Health Initiatives Team here at Education Leeds. Hannah contacted me about Local Democracy Week...

"Dear Chris, I thought you might find it useful to know what preparations we have made in order to take part in this year's Local Democracy Week which runs from 15th October - 21st October. The national theme is "Take part, take power" and once more, we are running the successful 'Mayor for a Day' initiative which has proved to be a high profile event.
This year the schools who have come forward to take part are Allerton Grange, Boston Spa, Cardinal Heenan and City Of Leeds schools

Candidates for 'Mayor for the Day' have submitted a manifesto based upon the theme of "If I were running Leeds for the day I would..." which will be focussed on such issues as: Environmental Issues; Caring for Vulnerable People; Leisure Activities for Young People.
All manifestos will appear, along with photos of the 'candidates' in the Yorkshire Evening Post today and will appear on the LCC web site for the duration of Local Democracy Week.
Please visit the website to see the manifestos at http://www.leeds.gov.uk.

Members of the public being invited to vote during Local Democracy Week and a dedicated email address has been set up specifically for the vote mayorforaday@leeds.gov.uk. So please register your vote! The eventual winner will be invited to take tea with the Lord Mayor, wear mayoral robes and help switch on the Leeds Christmas Lights. As last year, the winner will also have the opportunity of presenting their ideas in the form of a delegation to full Council in January 2008."

This is a great initiative and I hope that colleagues will read the manifestos and vote.
Chris

My colleague Loraine Lambert is the Learning Mentor at Farsley Farfield Primary School and Loraine sent me this e-mail...

"Dear Chris, Just reading your blog and you want to know what motivates us. I am the learning mentor at Farsley Farfield and am very proud of our school. We have just completed our Ofsted inspection, and if you read the report, we are highly praised for our innovative farm. I know other schools are starting to follow our lead (farm wise) - but we have just had our Harvest Festival complete with food harvested on our own farm by our own children, parents and staff. Our farm motivates me. I garden (badly) with children with behavioural, social or emotional issues. Our two fabulous gardeners do the most wonderful work with the children. Most of all, I am motivated by the inspiration, and dynamic leadership of Peter Harris (also praised by Ofsted).
Will you come to our school again please and see our farm now for yourself? Will you have lunch on a day when we provide our own vegetables? Please bring a recycled bag and take some produce home with you - if there's any left! Please bring with you some packets of seeds, or some cuttings, or a tree for planting, and please take a moment to look at our website. You too will be inspired. Cheers Loraine"

It is a great school and I will have to try to visit and have lunch.
Chris

I ended my hectic and slightly schizophrenic day at the North Eastern Region CIPFA Conference at the Park Inn , York...

The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) is one of the leading professional accountancy bodies in the UK and the only one which specialises in the public sector. It is responsible for the education and training of professional accountants and for their regulation through the setting and monitoring of professional standards. Uniquely among the professional accountancy bodies in the UK, CIPFA has responsibility for setting accounting standards for a significant part of the economy, namely local government. CIPFA’s members work, often at the most senior levels, in public service bodies, in the national audit agencies and major accountancy firms. They are respected throughout for their high technical and ethical standards, and professional integrity. CIPFA also provides a range of high quality advisory, information and training and consultancy services to public service organisations.

I had been asked to talk to around 80 accountants about 'Building brilliant learning organisations and releasing the potential of your team!' I don't know what you call a collection of accountants but they were a brilliant audience and the feedback was great.
Chris