I finished the day at the West Yorkshire Playhouse at 'One Leeds'...
'One Leeds' is a partnership event between Land Securities Trillium Property Partnerships, Investors in the Community (Leeds Schools) Ltd, the West Yorkshire Playhouse and Carr Manor High School, South Leeds High School, Primrose High School, City of Leeds School and Shakespeare Primary School.
The Parnership aims to promote culture and the arts, support extended schools and link with the curriculum. To deliver an initiative that would enrich the offer, boost morale and support achievement and to create and strengthen links with the community.
It was an amazing celebration of the talent in our schools and I hope it will become an annual event.
Chris
Monday, 9 July 2007
I went on to the launch of the Leeds Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education...
We are building brilliant learning places where all our young people can be happy, healthy, safe and increasingly successful. The Agreed Syllabus has been revised following consultations with our schools an sets out a clear and relevant rationale for religious education and the contribution it makes to wider learning. The Syllabus embeds the knowledge, skills, understanding and themes from the National Framework for Religious Education in a new and powerful local document that actively promotes truth, justice, respect and care.
Speakers at the event included Cllr Peter Harrand, Chair of SACRE, The Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr Reverend Alan Taylor and Liz Guild our SACRE consultant. The Syllabus reflects our ongoing commitment to equality, inclusion and community cohesion and seeks to break down barriers, tackle prejudice and provide opportunities for young people to learn about, and listen to, and learn to respect people from a variety of faiths. This agenda is probably more important than ever before and I hope all our schools will use the new Agreed Syllabus to help them shape this vitally important aspect of their provision.
Chris
We are building brilliant learning places where all our young people can be happy, healthy, safe and increasingly successful. The Agreed Syllabus has been revised following consultations with our schools an sets out a clear and relevant rationale for religious education and the contribution it makes to wider learning. The Syllabus embeds the knowledge, skills, understanding and themes from the National Framework for Religious Education in a new and powerful local document that actively promotes truth, justice, respect and care.
Speakers at the event included Cllr Peter Harrand, Chair of SACRE, The Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr Reverend Alan Taylor and Liz Guild our SACRE consultant. The Syllabus reflects our ongoing commitment to equality, inclusion and community cohesion and seeks to break down barriers, tackle prejudice and provide opportunities for young people to learn about, and listen to, and learn to respect people from a variety of faiths. This agenda is probably more important than ever before and I hope all our schools will use the new Agreed Syllabus to help them shape this vitally important aspect of their provision.
Chris
Cllr Richard Harker and I had lunch with Paul Napier and Nicola Megson from the Evening Post...
Paul and Nicola and really great people and we talked about how we could continue to promote and highlight the best of education in Leeds by working with the Evening Post. I think it is important that we continue to send colleagues at the Evening Post our stories where individual schools, children, young people and families are achieving great things.
Chris
Paul and Nicola and really great people and we talked about how we could continue to promote and highlight the best of education in Leeds by working with the Evening Post. I think it is important that we continue to send colleagues at the Evening Post our stories where individual schools, children, young people and families are achieving great things.
Chris
I started the day at Christ the King RC Primary School...
I had been invited by the children to attend the grand opening of their Outdoor Classroom by the Rt Hon. John Battle MP. It was an amazing event showcasing some of the best features and some of the successes of this brilliant little primary school.
We were treated to a fantastic Wake Up & Shake Up session by a group of children who had made up their own routine. They had won the Wake Up & Shake Up competition in the West of the city and finally come second in the city wide Wake Up & Shake Up competition. We also had a musical performance by the school recorder group. The school was also presented with its National Healthy Schools Award by my colleague Steve Ruse since they had been unable to attend the Central Awards Ceremony a few weeks back.
The Outdoor Classroom is a wonderful feature designed by the school and delivered by the team at Holly Bush BTCV Centre. It complements and extends the excellent work the school is doing on sustainability... you will remember that the school won the regional Sustainable Schools award and went forward to the Northern Finals of this year's Teaching Awards as one of only four schools from the thousand nominated in the Northern Region. The won a commendation at the Northern Awards at Harrogate last week.
There was a lovely touch at the end of the ceremony when the Outdoor Classroom was dedicated to Martin Kromer, the schools' long serving headteacher who retires this Summer after 23 years at the school.
CHris
I had been invited by the children to attend the grand opening of their Outdoor Classroom by the Rt Hon. John Battle MP. It was an amazing event showcasing some of the best features and some of the successes of this brilliant little primary school.
We were treated to a fantastic Wake Up & Shake Up session by a group of children who had made up their own routine. They had won the Wake Up & Shake Up competition in the West of the city and finally come second in the city wide Wake Up & Shake Up competition. We also had a musical performance by the school recorder group. The school was also presented with its National Healthy Schools Award by my colleague Steve Ruse since they had been unable to attend the Central Awards Ceremony a few weeks back.
The Outdoor Classroom is a wonderful feature designed by the school and delivered by the team at Holly Bush BTCV Centre. It complements and extends the excellent work the school is doing on sustainability... you will remember that the school won the regional Sustainable Schools award and went forward to the Northern Finals of this year's Teaching Awards as one of only four schools from the thousand nominated in the Northern Region. The won a commendation at the Northern Awards at Harrogate last week.
There was a lovely touch at the end of the ceremony when the Outdoor Classroom was dedicated to Martin Kromer, the schools' long serving headteacher who retires this Summer after 23 years at the school.
CHris
My colleague Wendy Winterburn met with the wonderful Parent Support Advisers last week and sent me this...
Dear Chris, I thought you might like to see the story below from Vivienne Gibbons one of our Parent Support Advisers. Hope you are well, Wendy.
"Hi Rebecca,
Tony Beswick the Centre Manager at the St George's Crypt who I have worked with briefly in the past sent me a leaflet which I feel sums up the sentiment of some of the work as PSA's we are trying to do. I have typed out below the transcript of the leaflet...... 'does it make a difference'. An old, old story claimed by many as theirs, but probably belongs to all of us ...
"While walking along a beach, a man saw in the distance what looked like a boy dancing. He was encouraged by the outward expression of someone dancing to the new day on the beach, and he approached the young man. As he got closer, he realized that the young man was actually running, leaning down, picking something up and then gently throwing it far into the ocean.
As he came closer, he saw thousands of starfish the tide had thrown onto the beach. Unable to return to the ocean during the low tide, the starfish were dying. He observed the young man picking up the starfish one by one and throwing them back.
After watching the seemingly futile effort, the observer said to the young man, "There must be thousands of starfish on this beach. It would be impossible for you to get to all of them. There is simply too many. You can't possibly save enough to make a difference."
"It made a difference to that one," he replied.
The older man shook his head at the impossible optimism of the young man, and then turned away and walked home. That night, he sat for a long time thinking of the young man, and determined that the young man was to really affecting the world and taking action to make a difference. Something that the older man would like to do. That night he slept fitfully.
In the morning, he awoke, went down to the beach and found the young man again. Then together, they went along the beach shore tossing starfish back into the ocean."
I'm not usually into too much gush or sentimentality but I thought this was quite a reflective piece and sums up alot of what some of the psa's experiences shared on Tuesday.
Viv Gibbons"
However many times I read that story, and there are so many different versions, it makes me realise why I do what I do.
Chris
Dear Chris, I thought you might like to see the story below from Vivienne Gibbons one of our Parent Support Advisers. Hope you are well, Wendy.
"Hi Rebecca,
Tony Beswick the Centre Manager at the St George's Crypt who I have worked with briefly in the past sent me a leaflet which I feel sums up the sentiment of some of the work as PSA's we are trying to do. I have typed out below the transcript of the leaflet...... 'does it make a difference'. An old, old story claimed by many as theirs, but probably belongs to all of us ...
"While walking along a beach, a man saw in the distance what looked like a boy dancing. He was encouraged by the outward expression of someone dancing to the new day on the beach, and he approached the young man. As he got closer, he realized that the young man was actually running, leaning down, picking something up and then gently throwing it far into the ocean.
As he came closer, he saw thousands of starfish the tide had thrown onto the beach. Unable to return to the ocean during the low tide, the starfish were dying. He observed the young man picking up the starfish one by one and throwing them back.
After watching the seemingly futile effort, the observer said to the young man, "There must be thousands of starfish on this beach. It would be impossible for you to get to all of them. There is simply too many. You can't possibly save enough to make a difference."
"It made a difference to that one," he replied.
The older man shook his head at the impossible optimism of the young man, and then turned away and walked home. That night, he sat for a long time thinking of the young man, and determined that the young man was to really affecting the world and taking action to make a difference. Something that the older man would like to do. That night he slept fitfully.
In the morning, he awoke, went down to the beach and found the young man again. Then together, they went along the beach shore tossing starfish back into the ocean."
I'm not usually into too much gush or sentimentality but I thought this was quite a reflective piece and sums up alot of what some of the psa's experiences shared on Tuesday.
Viv Gibbons"
However many times I read that story, and there are so many different versions, it makes me realise why I do what I do.
Chris
Someone asked me what makes a good school, what makes a successful school...
Successful schools are:
Successful schools are:
- happy places;
- healthy places;
- safe places;
- places which are rigorous in terms of their focus on standards, on tracking, on the powerful and intelligent use of data; and
- places where every child matters and no child gets left behind.
To build brilliant schools we need to continue to coach, nurture and develop:
- inspirational, passionate distributed leadership;
- brilliant teaching by talented colleagues;
- a coaching and nurturing culture;
- an engaging, powerful and stimulating curriculum;
- wonderful learning environments;
- brilliant learning;
- high expectations of children and colleagues;
- positive and constructive relationships;
- parents and carers as partners in learning.
Easy really!
Chris
Sunday, 8 July 2007
My colleague Pat asked me if I was doing the right things and if I was using my time to best effect...
The scary thing isn’t what we have achieved, but our potential to achieve so much more if only we can release the magic and switch people on who are currently stitched off... switched off by a lack of interest, a lack of motivation, a lack of enthusiasm, a lack of energy and drive. We all have so much potential. Our job as leaders, as managers, as coaches, as teachers, as parents, as people who care, is to help individuals set their goals, realise their enormous potential and understand that this is not as good as it gets!
We must change the language and reinvent our vocabulary. We must scrap the language which carries so much baggage and history and start using more inclusive and supportive terms… learning places, learning teams, colleagues and partners. We must incentivise and reward co-operation, teamwork, networking and partnering. We must encourage BRILLIANT projects, challenges and initiatives. We must celebrate our successes with t-shirts, buttons, badges, wristbands, certificates, awards and chocolate! We must dig deep to find, nurture and sustain talent. We must declare war on complexity… keep it simple and create simply beautiful systems. We must above all communicate, communicate, communicate.
We must create opportunities and learn to understand that we all have our blindspots. We must trust everyone and give them total access to everything we have. We must admit it when we don’t know the answers. We must talk to each other, talk to everyone and constantly search for solutions. We must manage everything as close as possible to the young people, the schools, the parents and the communities we serve. We must partner with the best and learn from them.
Our challenges as many. We must...
The scary thing isn’t what we have achieved, but our potential to achieve so much more if only we can release the magic and switch people on who are currently stitched off... switched off by a lack of interest, a lack of motivation, a lack of enthusiasm, a lack of energy and drive. We all have so much potential. Our job as leaders, as managers, as coaches, as teachers, as parents, as people who care, is to help individuals set their goals, realise their enormous potential and understand that this is not as good as it gets!
We must change the language and reinvent our vocabulary. We must scrap the language which carries so much baggage and history and start using more inclusive and supportive terms… learning places, learning teams, colleagues and partners. We must incentivise and reward co-operation, teamwork, networking and partnering. We must encourage BRILLIANT projects, challenges and initiatives. We must celebrate our successes with t-shirts, buttons, badges, wristbands, certificates, awards and chocolate! We must dig deep to find, nurture and sustain talent. We must declare war on complexity… keep it simple and create simply beautiful systems. We must above all communicate, communicate, communicate.
We must create opportunities and learn to understand that we all have our blindspots. We must trust everyone and give them total access to everything we have. We must admit it when we don’t know the answers. We must talk to each other, talk to everyone and constantly search for solutions. We must manage everything as close as possible to the young people, the schools, the parents and the communities we serve. We must partner with the best and learn from them.
Our challenges as many. We must...
- Be GREAT learners… by constantly questioning and asking why.
- Be GREAT performers… by being confident and energetic.
- Be GREAT storytellers… by bringing strategies and policies alive.
- Accept responsibility… for decisions and outcomes.
- Focus on what really matters!
- AND above all be passionate.
Chris
Why is it that girls fly high while boys fall into crime and poor behaviour? Girls do better than boys. It's official...
The new Department for Children, Schools and Families has published a report which say that the gender gap is becoming a chasm. Girls are forging ahead in achievement at all levels of education. The gap starts extraordinarily early according to Sue Palmer author of Toxic Childhood who argues that the early start disaadvantages our boys. I suppose the question is where do our boys do better and under what conditions?
Chris
The new Department for Children, Schools and Families has published a report which say that the gender gap is becoming a chasm. Girls are forging ahead in achievement at all levels of education. The gap starts extraordinarily early according to Sue Palmer author of Toxic Childhood who argues that the early start disaadvantages our boys. I suppose the question is where do our boys do better and under what conditions?
Chris
I read this article in the Times Educational Supplement this weekend...
Sport and activity activates the brain, aids concentration and levels of alertness, can improve attendance, develops key skills such as teamwork, stragic thinking and self-discipline,helps with confidence and motivation and can reduce behavioural problems.
Why isn't everyone Waking Up and Shaking Up?
Chris
Sport and activity activates the brain, aids concentration and levels of alertness, can improve attendance, develops key skills such as teamwork, stragic thinking and self-discipline,helps with confidence and motivation and can reduce behavioural problems.
Why isn't everyone Waking Up and Shaking Up?
Chris
I expect most of us caught some of the Live Earth concerts that went on around the world yesterday...
I think the real question is what are we as individuals, as schools and organisations and as an educational community here in Leeds going to do to save the planet? The Sustainable Schools movement has many of the answers and I hope that next term we can seriously pick this up and start to make a real difference. It would be good to hear from anyone who has ideas about how we can do this.
Chris
I think the real question is what are we as individuals, as schools and organisations and as an educational community here in Leeds going to do to save the planet? The Sustainable Schools movement has many of the answers and I hope that next term we can seriously pick this up and start to make a real difference. It would be good to hear from anyone who has ideas about how we can do this.
Chris
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