I started the day early with secondary headteacher colleagues at the David Lloyd Centre...

I was there for a question and answer session with the secondary headteachers. We need to find more opportunities like this where we can talk about the development of 21st Century Schools, ICT developements, Safer Schools arrangements and 14 - 19 arrangements, extended services and confederations. We need to spend time looking a t both the budget and capital strategies in the knowledge that public sector funding is going to become tougher but intitiatives like Apprenticeships, the Future Jobs Fund and various green intiativesprovide us with the opportunitiy to think creatively about the future. We need to connect to the developing Children's Services arrangemnets and look acrefully at the contribution we can make to the five outcomes through better relationships with the police, health, youth services, early years and children's social care.

We are building brilliant learning in brilliant learning places to serve healthy, harmonious and successful communities and we need to continue to explore and develop new ways of working that bring together elements of best practice more consistently and more cost-effectively.

We certainly live in interesting times!
Chris