I started the day early at Pudsey Civic Hall with the Pudsey Family of Schools headteachers...

This was a great group of colleagues and it would be very interesting to add up the years of experience in the room and to build on the understanding of and insights into the real issues we are facing. We celebrated the end of the Key Stage 2 Science SATs next year andtalked about the characteristics of brilliant provision and how schools could maintain their focus with too many intiatives, too many pots of money to chase, too many consultants and experts and too much constant change.

We talked about the importance of confident, self-critical and reflective practitioners who understood the learning process and were working positively with colleagues from Social Care, Health and the voluntary sector to build healthier and more sustainable communities. We talked about confident, passionate and dynamic leaders who had a clear view of what was needed to drive change and achieve that step change in outcomes we all want to see. outcomes not simply measured in terms of Level 4 at Key Stage 2 or 5 A*-C Grades at GCSE .

We talked about aspiration and attainment and how we rebuild hope in communities. We need to do more of this; to talk more, to share more, to network more and to celebrate more. We talked about the challenges that lie ahead with public sector budget cuts and the need to work more creatively and more collaboratively and to stop the merry go round of meetings, bureaucracy and things that made no difference to children and families and focus on those we know do.
It's great to talk.
Chris