I met my colleague Anne Lomas, Visually Impaired Team Leader, the other day and Anne told me about Haider, one of her teams many success stories which I wanted to share with you...

"Dear Chris, Following our brief conversation this morning, I am writing to tell you about some amazing work that is going on in the Visually Impaired Team.

Haider is a Y10 student at Ralph Thoresby HS, supported by the VI base staff, and teachers from the VI team. He has never found school easy, and has struggled with aspects of braille and literacy. Unfortunately, he was unable to attend a full 2 days at College from last September, so the VI team have put together a personalised programme, in order to keep him engaged with school, and to promote some of the VI skills that need to be developed. This has taken three routes; Boxing, cycle repair workshops and specialist sports sessions; cycling, cricket.

One of our new teachers, Steve Thompson, who came to us from Royds, had been involved in improving fitness and motivation for sighted students in his former job, through BoxFit sessions. Boxfit is an activity which aims to improve fitness through a variety of boxing skills and promotes a healthier lifestyle and improved self-esteem via the range of activities involved and the social aspect of the sessions. Steve arranged for a coach to come to Thoresby to work with Haider, and then he took up the challenge of weekly coaching. Over a 4 month period, Haider has progressed beyond everyone's expectations. Following a hard session he recounts "My power, speed and balance have improved as well as my confidence": however the benefits and over-arching life skills which Boxfit promotes are also evident, not only to staff who work with Haider at Ralph Thoresby, but also to Haider himself "I like it because it’s taught me about self-control, and if I think something’s hard, then I’ll give it a go now – before I would have just given up". Haider's parents are equally as delighted with the change they have seen in him.

Last Thursday, Steve took Haider to a local gym where he had a training session with a professional boxer, followed by an hour session of boxfit with other sighted students. This gave him the opportunity to socialise with the other boxers and to make contacts and form friendships which may well last for years, and it is this aspect of boxfit which is perhaps the most important to Haider "If you can’t see then it’s unfair that you can’t have a go – I just like having the chance to do the same as everybody else". Simultaneously, the VI team knew that Haider had an interest in bikes, and rode one at home in the street with his friends. Efforts to pursue this via College were unsuccessful, but Eve McLeish, VI teacher at Ralph Thoresby made contact with the Edinburgh Cycle workshop, and persuaded someone to come in and meet Haider, and just have a chat. Before the end of the first session, the bike was stripped down, and it was evident that this was going to be another success. Haider can now strip down and service the brakes on his own bike, and school have found funding for a further 10 sessions. In addition, the person who comes to do the workshops with Haider has persuaded him to visit a residential college for the visually impaired, that runs the only bike course in the country, and he is going to accompany the team on a visit.

Sarah Cross, a PE specialist in the VI team, has been developing and delivering specialist PE sessions for all the visually Impaired young people at Ralph Thoresby, which has included cycling (independently) and cricket. Again, Haider has shone and discovered success and enjoyment. These successes, and many more, are a direct result of the fantastic work that the Secondary team have been doing on personalisation, and the VI curriculum, and our new team plan has more exciting developments. I cannot praise the efforts and commitment of these staff enough, and I invite you to come to Ralph Thoresby to see boxing, and other sports on any Monday or Tuesday mornings. I attach a picture of Haider.

Best wishes. Anne"

It is great to hear stories like this and to see how we can build pathways to excellence for everyone.

Chris

Last week was a funny old week…

I spent most of the week in meetings: meetings with Rosemary Archer and her Children's Services Leadership Team; a meeting with the Education Leeds Board; a meeting with colleagues at the DCSF; a meeting with colleagues from the Hay Group; a meeting with John Battle MP; a meeting with June Turner, headteacher at Beecroft Primary School; a meeting with Councillor Richard Harker; and a meeting with Dirk Gilleard and Ros Vahey before I headed off to Oxford for my son’s graduation ceremony

I did manage one brief school visit. I visited Lawnswood High School. The school had been plagued by false fire alarms and I popped in to see Milan Davidovic who took me on a quick tour of the school and talked to me about this year’s GCSE results and the progress the school is making.

It’s easy for us here at Education Leeds to talk about the challenges, the difficulties we face, the stress and how difficult our jobs are. But we need to always remember that it’s Milan and his colleagues and colleagues in schools across the city who day-in, day-out are really at the front line.
Chris

"There once was a group of climbers who arranged a climbing competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high mountain. A big crowd had gathered around the mountain to see the race and cheer on the contestants...

The race began...Honestly, no-one in crowd really believed that the climbers would reach the top of the mountain. You heard statements such as:

"Oh, WAY too difficult!!"

"They will NEVER make it to the top".

"Not a chance that they will succeed."

"The mountain is too high!"

The climbers began collapsing. One by one, except for those who in a fresh tempo were climbing higher and higher...

The crowd continued to yell

"It is too difficult!!!"

"No one will make it!"

More climbers got tired and gave up...But ONE continued higher and higher and higher. This one wouldn't give up!

At the end, everyone else had given up climbing the mountain. Except for the one who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top!

THEN all of the other climbers naturally wanted to know how this one had managed to do it? They asked how the one who succeeded had found the strength to reach the goal?

It turned out that the winner was deaf."

It's true you see, that with determination, self-belief and hard work you can achieve things that others believe to be impossible... and don't listen to the voices that say it's impossible.

Chris

I've been thinking about the future and what it looks like...

Whatever it is we need to keep it simple, keep it focused and keep it disciplined. It's too simplistic to think that the answer lies in Trusts or Academies or Federations or Specialist Schools... although they are clearly part of the toolkit that will help us deliver brilliant outcomes for all our children and for all our young people.

The trouble with the current approach, where we look to continue to steadily and systemtically improve our outcomes is that it is simply too slow and fails to recognise that we need a significant step-change in outcomes if we are to deliver world class learning for our young people.

To reach the target of 80% of our young people reaching Level 2 qualifications at 16 requires all our schools to achieve between 65% and 95%. Simply outstanding outcomes require us to think differently and use every possible strategy and approach.

However we know we can do it and we know that the keys are:

• distributed leadership;
• clear, shared vision, values and beliefs;
• appropriate strategies and approaches to raise standards;
• high expectations;
• a coaching culture;
  
• strong relationships;
• inspiring teaching;
• individual tracking;
• focused interventions;
• high parental engagement.

What do you think are the keys to your success?
Chris

I started the day with Education Leeds' Leadership Forum at Space@Hillcrest before I went on to Adams Court to spend the day with the Council's Corporate Leadership Team.
Chris

My colleague Debbie Clark sent me this e-mail...

"Hi Chris, The students of the West SILC - Victoria Park site all leapt for Martin House on Friday. It was great fun and we raised about £25 which is great for us. Debbie"

We had a great day leaping for Martin House on Friday and while I am not sure how much we raised I thought these pictures from the West SILC captured the moment brilliantly.

Chris

I received this e-mail from my colleague Tracy Dell, Headteacher at Methley Primary School...

"Dear Chris,Hope you have a had a good week! Read your blog and used it to reflect on my great team! Thank you, Tracy

It's great to know that Tracey is 'Making Methley Brilliant'!
chris

The University of Cambridge Primary Review

While the DCSF have already dismissed this research, everyone who cares about learning in this country and who passionately believes in brilliant primary education should read it...

SOME KEY FINDINGS AND ISSUES FROM THE FOUR REPORTS

• Funding primary education: should there be parity between primary and secondary?

The first report records a marked increase in expenditure on primary education from 1998 onwards, yet ’when expenditure is expressed relative to per capita GDP the UK comes 18th out of 29 OECD countries on expenditure on primary education’ and the per pupil primary/secondary funding differential is greater than in some other OECD countries. The report argues that because children’s ‘later progress and achievement are highly dependent on earlier attainment ... it is by no means self-evident ... that primary schools should be less generously funded than secondary.’ DISCUSS!

• Is there now a ‘state theory of learning’?

The second report shows how since 1997 ‘central control in key areas of educational action has been strengthened within a framework of administrative and fiscal devolution ... Government has strengthened its hand through what may be called a “state theory of learning” ... based on the idea that the repeated high stakes testing of pupils, a national curriculum, and in primary schools mandated pedagogy in numeracy and literacy, will raise standards ... There is little doubt that the machinery of surveillance and accountability makes it difficult for schools to deviate from focusing on test performance’ The report questions whether it is right or sensible for governments to intervene to this extent in the fine detail of professional practice. DISCUSS!

• The impact of two decades of ‘reform’.

The reports track change and reform in the primary sector under both Conservative and New Labour administrations and warn that ‘tracing causation between particular reforms and children’s learning is extremely difficult’, though that has been no bar to confident claims both for and against the various reform initiatives. Yet ‘all studies shows clearly that change has occurred, and that in 2007 primary classrooms are very different places from the way they were in 1988, or even 1997.’ It records greater system coherence and improvements in the standards achieved by many pupils, ‘but a decrease in the overall quality of primary education ... because of the narrowing of the curriculum and the intensity of test preparation.’ Moreover, while one major study reported significant changes in teachers’ practice, a much larger number showed that ‘the quality of teacher-pupil interaction on which much learning depends has shown little sign of improvement and there is some evidence of decline ... At the same time, the range of teaching methods employed is probably narrower now than hitherto.’ DISCUSS!

• School inspection: stability, trust and relevance.

The fourth report notes that ‘constant change in quality assurance procedures has proved a great burden and cause for complaint by schools and teachers. While some change is inevitable to meet cultural and political expectations, the degree and pace of change have been exceptionally great in the last fifteen years ... The need to address poor provision and poor teaching is undisputed, but empirical studies have revealed flaws in the [Ofsted] inspection processes and possibilities for improvement ... It is important that policy on quality assurance should inspire the maximum possible trust between politicians, parents and professionals.’ The report also warns that ‘many research studies point to the tendency of narrowly-focused inspection to distort the curriculum. DISCUSS!

Everyone should read and talk about these reports which are available on the Primary Review web-site at www.primaryreview.org.uk.
Chris

I think the things that make brilliant are...

• strong, disciplined, focused and passionate leadership;
• clear, shared vision, values and beliefs;
• a talented, energetic, enthusiastic and creative team;
• empowered, trusted and disciplined colleagues;
• stimulating, exciting and engaging work;
• beautiful systems and routines;
• a powerful, stimulating and interesting learning environment;
• high shared expectations;
• strong, dynamic and meaningful relationships;
• high engagement and involvement of colleagues.

I need your help here and would welcome feedback... is this the recipe for releasing a very special magic or have I missed something?

Chris

I started the day at the Thorpe Park Hotel where we were holding a 14 - 19 Review Day with colleague headteachers and college principals...

This is one of the biggest agendas we are dealing with here in Leeds and the day set out to:

• revisit the vision, values and principles underpinning the 14 - 19 reforms;
• improve shared understandings of the challenges we face here in Leeds;
• progress the concept of a learner entitlement;
• explore how we secure localised comprehensive access for all young people;
• agree how we collectively and individually move the agenda forward.

I'll let you know how it went.
Chris