Colleagues gave me a copy of our new 'The Education Leeds Learning and Development Guide' which I read over the weekend...

It's a powerful little statement about the support for talent management and highlights three golden threads:

• equalities and diversity in everything we do;
• working in collaboration - in teams, within Education Leeds and with our partners;
• Leaders and people managers - developing a culture, inspiring and managing colleagues.

The booklet covers induction, personal development, enabling programme, aspiring programme, inspiring programme, health, safety and well-being, child protection and information technology. The document sets out our commitment to our colleagues and their professional and personal development. We need to help colleagues with their own progression pathways to ensure that each and every one achieves their potential and releases their magic.
Chris

It was great to hear that the regional 2012 Legacy Trust funded initiative 'imove' is supporting 'Don't Just Sit There', an exciting project linking art and sport in the run up to the 2012 Olympics...

The Northern Ballet Project, working with Education Leeds, the College of Chinese Physical Culture, Open Minds Theatre Company, Phoenix Dance Theatre and the Rugby Football League, tackles issues arising from sedentary lifestyles in 'Don't Just Sit There'. Planned activities include:

• 'Spirit Alive' our child-led mini-Olympics;
• 'Energisers' mass participation events for adults and students;
• Work in schools involving classical and contemporary dance, physical theatre, Chinese movement and music, Indian and African dance, West Indian Carnival and New Zealand Haka.

It is great to see work in schools being supported through brilliant initiatives like this.
Chris

I went on to a meeting of the Leeds Skills Board with Phil Willis MP, Chair of the Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Select Committee...

Phil Willis talked about the fact that although we can see some green shoots the current economic climate is worrying. Unemployment is still rising and we are expecting another dip in the housing market. All the evidence suggests that we need a new three to five year strategy for skills which recognises that centrally driven programmes focused on qualifications don't work. Train to Gain, great in principle, fails because it isn't owned by employers and businesses but is simplistically a top down Government strategy with all the associated bureaucracy and processes that fail to connect with company and business approaches.

We need to move the UK to achieve top quartile skills to allow us to compete in a global economy. This requires a coherent and coordinated approach to the delivery of the skills agenda. We need to develop trust, ownership and partnership. We must keep things simple, connect and limit the paperwork. We need to develop aspiration, ambition and get away from the 'it's good enough' philosophy.

Does any of this sound familiar?
Chris

THINK TEAM!

I moved on to the Secondary Headteachers meeting at Weetwood Hall...

I wanted to talk to these colleagues about the wicked issues facing us over the next couple of years:

• Budget;
• Children's Services;
• OFSTED;
• 21st Century Schools;
• Elections.

And our need to focus on:

• Secondary standards;
• National Challenge schools;
• Attendance; and
• Behaviour.

We know that the National Challenge baseline will continue to rise and that we should establish our own curriculum and outcomes framework, share what works and ensure that every young person achieves their potential through experiencing a broad, rich, dynamic and exciting offer which develops ownership, creativity, enterprise and responsibility.
Chris

THINK TEAM!

I started the day at Leadership Forum at the West Park Centre...

I wanted to talk to colleagues about the wicked issues facing us over the next couple of years:

• Budget;
• Children's Services;
• OFSTED;
• 21st Century Schools;
• Elections.

And our need to focus on:

• Primary numbers;
• Primary standards;
• Secondary standards;
• National Challenge schools;
• Attendance; and
• Behaviour.

And to stress the importance of people, partnerships and relationships as we work to take advantage of the opportunities this huge agenda and the rapidly changing landscape will bring.

Chris

My colleague Clare Price who is Head of Arts Development at Artforms sent me this after I missed her 'Drawing across the Curriculum' launch event on Wednesday...

"Hi Chris, In amidst all the difficulties you are dealing with currently - I wanted to give you some good news and let you know the Drawing event yesterday at the gallery was a fantastic success. We had great feedback from the teachers who attended and everyone left feeling inspired, it was a very enjoyable day. I hope we begin to see an explosion of drawing across Leeds schools! That's all for now - take care. Best wishes Clare."

Clare and her colleagues do a brilliant job promoting and developing the arts and the booklet they have produced with the National Campaign for Drawing is wonderful based on 15 case studies where artists worked with schools here in Leeds. The booklet will be sent to all Leeds schools as part of this fantastic project. It's great to know that the arts are alive and well here in Leeds.

Chris

Remembrance Festival

I was really pleased to receive details of Abbey Grange CE High School's Remembrance Festival from Cllr Brenda Lancaster...

It is vitally important that our young people understand how the lives of people in Leeds have been affected by conflicts across the world and great to see Abbey Grange colleagues developing this Festival of Remembrance which will run from 2nd November to 15th November. It is a hugely ambitious project involving veterans, students, staff, BBC Look North, BBC Radio Leeds and the Evening Post.

Students and staff at Abbey Grange have also been inspired to create their own website with study trips focusing on World War 1 and World War 2 and remembrance activities in school as the stimulus. They have also collected relatives memories and researched the role Leeds played during major conflicts. They have dedicated Project Inspire to the brave men and women who continue to inspire them. You can visit their website at http://www.projectinspire.co.uk.
Chris

My colleague Rosie Molinari, our School Meals Strategy Adviser, sent me this e-mail today...

"Hello Chris, students from Mount St Mary's have developed a range of films that aim to raise the importance of free school meals and most important make them normal and to prevent children/parents feeling uncomfortable about taking them. The students designed and presented 11 ideas - all were brilliant - of which only 4 were selected ( some a mix of 2 or more ideas). They will each make a 30 minute advertisement promoting free school meals. Two will be animated and 2 real. The filming will be on the 20th November - and together - we hope to launch the film at start of term in January 2010. The film will be available nationally on all Life Channel TV schools and Doctors surgery - the call to action for each film strip will encourage pupils/ families to contact their school to learn more about school meals. We aim to develop lesson plans to support the films in PSHCE. We are also producing 300 DVD's which will have the film and lesson plans so that all schools in Leeds have access to the film. The NHS-Leeds child hood obesity team are also working with me on this programme. This is a unique film by students for students addressing health inequalities by dealing with food poverty. Thanks Rosie."

This is a brilliant initiaitive to promote healthy eating and free school meal uptake. Our best ambassadors are our young people and it is wonderful to hear about things like this.
Chris

I started the day early meeting an old colleague from York...

Mark Barnett, Consultant Headteacher "Behaviour Matters", has been working on the behaviour continuum in York since he left Westfield Primary School, one of the largest and most successful primary schools in the region. Mark was named as Yorkshire Teacher of the Year last year and it was great to catch up with him and hear how my old authority is doing... sounds like it is doing great things as always.
Chris

I moved on to the Council's Executive Board who were considering a number of important papers...

The Board looked at expanding primary provision to meet the needs of the growing population in the inner areas of the city and agreed to consult on proposals relating to fifteen primary schools. They also considered the consultation on the further development of Special Educational Needs provision building on the real successes we have had with the SILCs, the PRUs, the partnership bases and the resourced provision. The Board highlighted in particular the need to focus on improving behavioural provision across the city.

The Board also looked at a report analysing the latest admissions round which highlighted the slight drop in first preferences due in primary to the increase in reception numbers and due in secondary to the reduction in provision due to school closures. The main report focussed on our response to the National Challenge where we were recommending consultation on proposals to close City of Leeds, Parklands and Primrose High Schools and replace them with two Acadenies and a 14 - 19 Centre.

All the reports were approved and we are now planning a major consultation exercise to gather opinions and shape the final proposals which will come back to the Executive Board after Christmas.
Chris