Message of the Week Five

Our success as individuals, as great teams, as great organisations, as great schools, critically depends on our ability to inspire each other and to help release the enormous potential that sits within our colleagues, our teams and our schools. We must provide strong leadership and continue to motivate each other. We must communicate a clear, passionate and consistent message about the mission we are on and the attitudes and behaviours we all need to demonstrate to release that magic, that passion and that brilliance.

It has been another great week here at the Merrion Centre. Meetings occupied a lot of my time as usual.. meetings with the leadership team, leadership forum, corporate management team and the Learning and Skills Council. I also attended a couple of development sessions; one with Rosemary Archer and her leadership team and another with our leadership team.

I managed one school visit to Brodetsky Primary School to see Simon Camby to talk about the opportunities and challenges he faces as a new headteacher in Leeds. I also managed a flying visit to London with Cllr Richard Harker to see Lord Adonis. We discussed the developing secondary and post-16 agenda here in Leeds and how Building Schools for the Future, the Learning and Skills Council’s review of FE provision and the development of Academies, Trusts and other new models can help us achieve a real step change in outcomes at 16 and 19.

On Friday, I attended the ‘Respect for All Faiths’ event which marked the United Nations International Day of Peace. The event was brilliantly chaired by Mohammed Kamran from the Muslim Youth Council and Terry Waite was the keynote speaker. We even had messages of support from wonderful Corrine Bailey Rae and the sadly less impressive Kaiser Chiefs. However, the highlight of the session was the performance by children from Hugh Gaitskell Primary School who were amazing as always!

Those of you who know me well, know that the arts are one of loves of my life. The arts can excite us, strain every emotion and sometimes simply take your breath away. A dance group or an orchestra of wonderfully talented artists in their own right working together as a team to create magic… brilliant! It’s the same with individuals, Darcy Bussell, Joshua, Bell, Katie Melua, etc, all artists whose passion, energy, talent and ability capture your attention, your imagination, your soul.

In every case outstanding talent produces dazzling, brilliant performances. We need to continue to play like this here at Education Leeds. We must compose and orchestrate, lead and motivate each other and communicate a clear passionate and consistent message about the mission we are on and the attitudes and behaviours we all need to demonstrate to release our magic and our passion and our brilliance.
Chris