"To laugh often and much;

to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;

to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;

to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;

to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

When you are bogged down by the belidgerent, the uninformed, the difficult, the critics and the false friends always remember that we have made such a difference to so many children, young people,their families and communities and that we still have so much more to give and so much more to do.

Chris

Have you seen any great films recently?

Over the Summer I saw The Simpsons Movie and The Bourne Ultimatum which the reviews made you believe that here were two great films. I thought they were both good films but neither were great films… the Simpsons film had some really good bits and made me laugh and the Bourne film was really fast and engaging but, to be honest, the camera shots when action speeded up made me travel sick.

Over the weekend I saw ‘Atonement’, which again has had outstanding reviews. Again, I would say a film worth watching but not a great film.

So, let me know if you have seen any great films recently.
Chris

I’ve had a series of meetings today and more than ever in this crazy world we need colleagues who inspire us, who make us think and who create opportunities for themselves and for those around them. If we are serious about ensuring that every school in Leeds is a good school, an improving school and an inclusive school where every child and young person is happy, healthy, safe and successful we need exceptionally gifted individuals who release magic and make things happen. We need people brimming with enthusiasm and full of new ideas and people who are constantly looking for ways to achieve their own personal and professional challenges. People whose talents and skills are used to leave a mark and make a real difference here in Leeds.

So where are these superheroes I hear you ask. These wonder-women and wonder-men who are fired by passion and imagination and filled with personal drive, driven by a supreme work ethic and ambition and inspired by what they can achieve and what they can help others to achieve. People who constantly set themselves new challenges and goals, go on to achieve them and then set new ones. People who push themselves to the limit to ensure that their talents are fulfilled and their potential is realised.

Where are they, simply look around… these people are everywhere and the question we must ask ourselves is what’s stopping you from believing that you have your own special talents and that you can achieve brilliant things. Be passionate, be committed, be determined. Set yourself ambitious goals, keep moving yourself forward and you will achieve something truly spectacular.
Chris

Which team do you support? Do you dream about playing for the winning team? Do you wear the shirt?

Great teams work for each other and the team. No egos, no stars, just the team and the desire to win, to be the best. The team ethic and focus is about passion, pride, persistence, determination and camaraderie. Great team players fill the shirt with pride and passion.

We can all dream about playing for a winning team. But it isn’t simply a dream. You are wearing the Education Leeds shirt, you are playing for the Education Leeds team. So go out with passion and pride; with courage and determination; with energy and hard work. And be a winner!
Chris

Strangely perhaps, while success is something we are all searching for, academics have found that money, promotion and other material rewards achieve less pleasure and engagement than intrinsic motivation. Lack of passion, commitment and engagement makes for worse performance and if we focus on rewards people can become disconnected from the pleasure of the activity itself.

In his book “Affluenza: how to be successful and stay sane”, Oliver James explores the fundamental difference between children in China and children here in the UK. In China, up to four years old, children are surrounded by kindness and infant-centred nurture. At four, however, it is a different story! Extremely strict training is the rule with public humiliation of any bad behaviour.

Despite all this children in China are committed to their parents, their communities and to their values. Perhaps because parents combine strictness with love and understanding. The challenge for those of us who care about the fundamental decline we are seeing in standards, behaviour and discipline is how do we do it here?
Chris

Message of the Week Three

Alone we can do so little but together we can achieve so much. In fact, together here in Leeds, what couldn’t we achieve?


After the GCSE results I visited some of our secondary schools where they have achieved remarkable things over the last couple of years. I managed to get to John Smeaton Community College, who are just moving into their fantastic new building, and also visited Cockburn College and Carr Manor High School. These three schools show us what is possible with strong leadership, great team work, highly effective systems for dealing with behaviour and discipline, regular and systematic student tracking, monitoring and interventions and above all, a great curriculum and brilliant teaching.


Teamwork is about working together to achieve common goals, it is the fuel that allows ordinary people like you and me, to achieve extraordinary results... like at these three outstanding schools where John Daulby, Colin Richardson and Simon Flowers have shown us that anything is possible if you believe.


Our achievements and successes don’t happen by accident. They happen because of individuals' passion, commitment, energy and effort. To achieve outstanding outcomes we need to all pull together in the same direction. Our challenge is to harness that individual commitment to a team effort. It’s what makes a great school work, a great company work and a great society work. We also need to build in respect, support and equity for each and every member of the team… so that each colleague in their proper place can play their part to the best of their ability.


As the education world staggers into another new set of structures and a new set of initiatives in the latest attempt to solve the problems we face, it is really important that we approach this new world with growing confidence. We need to continue to build a team spirit, a team ethos, a team approach that harnesses the passion, energy and commitment of everyone through the good times and bad times.


I know that change always causes anxiety, but remember that it always provides opportunities for people who rise to the challenge, as we have seen at John Smeaton, Cockburn and Carr Manor. The future lies with those individuals, teams and services who continue to be responsive, to provide creative and imaginative solutions, and to offer highly effective challenge and support.
Our partners want energy and honest commitment, genuine value and real opportunity. Those who know us well know that’s what you get from Education Leeds.
Chris

I found this story in a book and then discovered it was everywhere across the web...

"When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar...and the coffee...

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, " I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.The golf balls are the important things: faith, family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else.....the small stuff.

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the things that really matter first.....the golf balls. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled."I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

A great story... anyone for coffee!
Chris

It has also been a weekend of great sport… the football, the cricket and the rugby world cup.

I love sport. and just like sport, what we do here at Education Leeds is about strategy, planning, tactics and coaching. We all know that great planning is essential for success, as is having clear goals and targets to aim at. We need to continue to visualise success and really go for it, making certain that we get there….. it could be your own personal or professional development; that night class or the Masters you’ve been talking about for years… it could be an outstanding project or initiative your are working on… the Inclusion Strategy, the 14-19 Strategy, the extension of the ISP …. or it could be the London Marathon or the Race for Life.

Every day is about hard work, focused energy and effort and we can never afford to rest on our laurels as Power 100 Team of the Year or as a Beacon Council… that was yesterday’s success and we must constantly strive to be the best we can today and tomorrow. We must remain unique and different, set new standards and stay ahead. When it comes down to it, as I always say ‘it’s all about ATTITUDE.’ Skills can be learned, experience gained, knowledge and understanding taught but it’s your personal attitude and ambition that will drive our success and your determination to keep going when the going gets tough.

We must all motivate ourselves and everyone in our teams with an unshakeable belief that whatever happens, OFSTED, JAR, contracts, people moving on, politics, ordinary people like you and me can do extraordinary things. We see it all the time and I know it’s a challenge but our attitude can release a very special kind of magic and achieve outstanding outcomes… but only if you believe!
Keep the faith.
Chris

What did you read over the Summer?

My Summer reading list included:

• ‘The Memory Keeper’s Daughter’ by Kim Edwards;
• ‘The Mission Song’ by John Le Carre;
• ‘Blind Woman, Sleeping Willow’ by Haruki Murakami;
• ‘Crazy as Chocolate’ by Elizabeth Hyde;
• ‘Next’ by Michael Crichton;
• ‘His Dark Materials’ by Philip Pullman;
• ‘The Obvious’ by James Dale;
• ‘Transform Your Life’ by Penny Ferguson;
• ‘The Key’ by Junichiro Tanizaki;
• ‘The God Delusion’ by Richard Dawkins.

I have just bought ‘Exit Music’ by Ian Rankin, which is the latest and presumably the last ‘Rebus’ novel. Interestingly, my colleague Katy Hockridge told me that after reading the Ian Rankin ‘Rebus’ novels I should read Peter Robinson’s crime novels which are set in Yorkshire.

Let me know the great books you've read this Summer.
Chris

Set yourself three goals for the term, AND...

• Be passionate;
• Be focused;
• Be organised;
• Be determined;
• Be persistent;
• Be discliplined;

AND just do it!

Chris