It has been one of those weeks where I have been thinking about our service to schools and to young people and their families...

I was talking at the induction session earlier in the week and I repeated the Education Leeds mantra about 'happy, healthy, safe and successful... whatever it takes'. We need to remember that 'happy, healthy, safe and successful... whatever it takes' applies not only to our colleagues but to schools, young people and their families who sit right at the heart of everything we do. This is fundamentally what we are all about... our culture, ethos and values are about openness, honesty, trust, engagement and empowerment and must continue to shape the way we work, live and breathe. We must all lead by example and continue to listen to our colleagues, our colleagues in schools and our young people and allow them to help us refine, develop and improve what we do, to influence policy and practice and to develop more intelligent systems of accountability.

Keep the faith
Chris