Eleanor Brazil and I started the day early having breakfast with headteacher colleagues at Oakwood Primary School...

The Inner East Family of Schools headteachers are an amazing group doing brilliant work with children and families against a background of poverty, disadvantage and ill-health in these highly mobile and complex communities. We all agreed that we need an approach which was focused on 'Think Family' and connecting with colleagues in Adult Services, Neighbourhoods and Housing, NHS Leeds and the West Yorkshire Police to build and support powerful, thriving and harmonious communities. We talked about the many challenges we all face but what was deeply encouraging was that, alongside their passionate commitment to their children and their families, there was a total focus on ensuring that their children were exposed to rigorous, pacey and brilliant teaching to ensure that as far as possible they all became literate, numerate and had the necessary social and emotional skills to succeed.

These are great colleagues leading great schools where all this is wrapped in a stimulating, creative and imaginative curriculum offer that aims to turn out happy, healthy, safe and successful little learners, whatever it takes!
Chris