I started the day early having breakfast with the Meanwood and Moortown Family of Schools headteachers...

We talked about the brilliant work going on in these schools, the successes we have had over the last nine years, the outcome of the Children's Services Review, the Building Schools for the Future and the Primary Capital Programmes and the opportunities within the new world of Trusts, Federations and Academies. This is a great group of colleagues and it would be very interesting to add up the years of experience in the room and we must ensure that the Council builds on their understanding of, and insights into, the real issues we are facing as we move forward to create a new children's services directorate.

We agreed that, over the next few months, we must maintain continue to build brilliant porvison consistently across Leeds and share and network the extra-ordinary practice in our schools. We must continue to focus on quality, standards and outcomes while we use the opportunities with the new curriculum to nurture passion, enthusiasm, determination, persistence and patience across the children's services workforce. We talked about the opportunities that lie ahead, the importance of confident, self-critical and reflective practitioners who understand the learning process and are working creatively, imaginatively and positively with colleagues from Social Care, Health and the voluntary sector to 'Think Family' and to build powerful and sustainable communities.

We also 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. The Meanwood and Moortown Family of Schools group is a fantastic group of schools and having breakfast with Linda Bowles, Julie Colley, Maria Cabry, Jane Cavadino, Simon Flowers, Jane Langley, Helen Sanderson, Helen Stott and Stephen Watkins is always going to be interesting. What makes brilliant... simple, people like this. You only have to visit their schools to know that you are in the presence of talented, gorgeous, brilliant and wonderful colleagues who are releasing an extra-ordinary magic.

It was a brilliant start to the day with some great colleagues and we need to do more of this; to talk more, to share more, to network more and to celebrate more as we build the future together.

It's great to talk.
Chris