While I worked through a sea of e-mails, letters and documents, I attended a series of meetings with councillors, Education Leeds' board, corporate leadership team, the Leeds Skills Board and this month's council meeting. I also had breakfast with an amazing group of headteacher colleagues from the West Leeds family of schools and spent Friday with a brilliant group of colleagues from our leadership forum. I also managed to get into a school when Susannah Todd, deputy director for children's centres and extended services at the DCSF, visited Leeds.

Rosemary Archer and I visited Ebor Gardens Primary School to talk to Susannah at the start of her day here in the city. Susannah was deeply impressed by her visit which included Ebor Gardens Primary School, the new SHINE Centre in Harehills, and Brigshaw High School and Language College. She met headteachers, parent support advisers, higher level teaching assistants, parents and carers, and young people who talked passionately about the work we are doing to build brilliant learning in brilliant learning places serving healthy, harmonious and vibrant communities.

We all know that children's centres and extended services are key elements of the increasingly universal offer we are making to those vulnerable children and families who need us most and it was great to see our achievements through Susannah's eyes.

Keep up the brilliant work!
Chris