I met with Patrick Salami, Chief Executive of REEMAP...
Patrick wanted to update me on REEMAP's activities and their new Business Plan 'Learning, Achieving and Aspiring'. He also wanted to talk to me about two new programmes; Junior Fellowship for non-BME students and a targeted programme aimed at dads.
REEMAP is a brilliant organisation doing great work here in Leeds and it was really interesting to talk about their new plans with Patrick.
Chris
Thursday, 5 June 2008
I met Maria Bourke today...
Maria is the Founder and Managing Director of 'Let's Get Healthy' and wanted to talk to me about her "jump on board" programme which was developed with Leeds Metropolitan University. The programme is targeted at children and families and is held over twelve weeks and includes physical activity, educational sessions, 'talk about' cards, educational resources, healthy meals shopping lists, pedometer, goal setting folder, friendship bracelets and games.
Chris
Maria is the Founder and Managing Director of 'Let's Get Healthy' and wanted to talk to me about her "jump on board" programme which was developed with Leeds Metropolitan University. The programme is targeted at children and families and is held over twelve weeks and includes physical activity, educational sessions, 'talk about' cards, educational resources, healthy meals shopping lists, pedometer, goal setting folder, friendship bracelets and games.
Chris
Wednesday, 4 June 2008
My colleague Maqsood Sheikh in our Performance Management and Information Team sent me this briefing about this year's Audit Commission survey...
"Chris, the 2008 Audit Commission School Survey is now open for schools to complete on-line at http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/schoolsurvey/. Any help you could offer when in contact with school leaders, including governors, to encourage completion of the survey would be appreciated. This is an established national survey participated in by virtually all authorities. It captures schools perceptions of services provided locally for children and young people. It is important that we get a good return, as the information from the survey will inform and help develop partnership working with a view to improving outcomes for children and young people in Leeds. Last year 54% of Leeds schools (including SILCs and PRUs) responded to the survey. This year every school completing the survey will be entered into a prize draw, and will have the chance to win five RM Asus minibooks. In addition to this, one in every fifty schools completing the survey will win a minibook and Canon camcorder. These fantastic prizes are being provided by our strategic ICT partner RM, which is supporting the delivery of our ICT vision across Leeds. The survey will remain open for the next six weeks until 16th July 2008. Results will be reported to schools in the autumn term 2008. Please contact me if you would like any further information. Thank you for your help. Maqsood"
We use the survey to help us improve our services to schools and I hope as many schools as possible will complete the survey this year to give us feedback on what is working well, what is not working well and what we need to do to further improve.
Chris
"Chris, the 2008 Audit Commission School Survey is now open for schools to complete on-line at http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/schoolsurvey/. Any help you could offer when in contact with school leaders, including governors, to encourage completion of the survey would be appreciated. This is an established national survey participated in by virtually all authorities. It captures schools perceptions of services provided locally for children and young people. It is important that we get a good return, as the information from the survey will inform and help develop partnership working with a view to improving outcomes for children and young people in Leeds. Last year 54% of Leeds schools (including SILCs and PRUs) responded to the survey. This year every school completing the survey will be entered into a prize draw, and will have the chance to win five RM Asus minibooks. In addition to this, one in every fifty schools completing the survey will win a minibook and Canon camcorder. These fantastic prizes are being provided by our strategic ICT partner RM, which is supporting the delivery of our ICT vision across Leeds. The survey will remain open for the next six weeks until 16th July 2008. Results will be reported to schools in the autumn term 2008. Please contact me if you would like any further information. Thank you for your help. Maqsood"
We use the survey to help us improve our services to schools and I hope as many schools as possible will complete the survey this year to give us feedback on what is working well, what is not working well and what we need to do to further improve.
Chris
My colleague Peter Saunders who manages the Gypsy Roma Traveller Achievement Service here in Leeds wanted me to know about the feedback he has received from the winner of the GRTHM Poster Competition...
"Hi Chris, Thought that you would want to see this from a parent regarding the great success of the GRTHM Poster Prize-giving giving ceremony in the House of Lords on Monday. Best wishes Peter"
"Dear Peter, My wife and I and Jonathan would like to thank you for organising such a splendid prize giving presentation. Please also pass on our thanks to Lord Avebury, Lord Adonis and Arthur Ivatts for making this presentation possible in the House of Lords. Jonathan had a wonderful time and is very appreciative for his prize and being honoured in this way. It will be an occasion that he will remember for the rest of his life as shall we. As parents this was for us a very special occasion and we are very proud of our son and glad that we were able to support him and to be a part of this historic month of the Gypsy Roma Travellers. Many thanks. Yours sincerely, Costa, Marion and Jonathan Georgiades"
Peter also sent me some wonderful pictures from the event at the House of Lords.
"Hi Chris, Thought that you would want to see this from a parent regarding the great success of the GRTHM Poster Prize-giving giving ceremony in the House of Lords on Monday. Best wishes Peter"
"Dear Peter, My wife and I and Jonathan would like to thank you for organising such a splendid prize giving presentation. Please also pass on our thanks to Lord Avebury, Lord Adonis and Arthur Ivatts for making this presentation possible in the House of Lords. Jonathan had a wonderful time and is very appreciative for his prize and being honoured in this way. It will be an occasion that he will remember for the rest of his life as shall we. As parents this was for us a very special occasion and we are very proud of our son and glad that we were able to support him and to be a part of this historic month of the Gypsy Roma Travellers. Many thanks. Yours sincerely, Costa, Marion and Jonathan Georgiades"
Peter also sent me some wonderful pictures from the event at the House of Lords.
Peter and the team have done a brilliant job organising the GRTHM nationally as well as in Leeds and the impact on young people from these communities as evidenced in this letter is wonderful.
Chris
Chris
I started the day at Farsley Farfield Primary School...
I had been invited by Loraine Lambert, the Learning Mentor at the school, to see their farm which has won loads of awards including a Civic Pride Award. They have two gardeners who have taken career changes and now work part time at the school to release a little bit of green magic with the children... and it is simply brilliant; every school should have one!
I started the visit with Peter Harris, the headteacher, who is a passionate advocate for ICT, the garden and the school. Peter talked to me about the work the team have been doing with the building, the grounds and his plans for the future. We visited the garden and had a brief tour around the school.
Farsley Farfield Primary School is a wonderful primary school with fantastic grounds. A school leading the way in so many areas... the use of ICT, sport and PE and the garden to name but three. If you want to find out more you can visit their great web-site and see why Peter is so proud of his school. The address is https://sites.leedslearning.net/schools/farsleyfarfield.
Chris
I had been invited by Loraine Lambert, the Learning Mentor at the school, to see their farm which has won loads of awards including a Civic Pride Award. They have two gardeners who have taken career changes and now work part time at the school to release a little bit of green magic with the children... and it is simply brilliant; every school should have one!
I started the visit with Peter Harris, the headteacher, who is a passionate advocate for ICT, the garden and the school. Peter talked to me about the work the team have been doing with the building, the grounds and his plans for the future. We visited the garden and had a brief tour around the school.
Farsley Farfield Primary School is a wonderful primary school with fantastic grounds. A school leading the way in so many areas... the use of ICT, sport and PE and the garden to name but three. If you want to find out more you can visit their great web-site and see why Peter is so proud of his school. The address is https://sites.leedslearning.net/schools/farsleyfarfield.
Chris
Tuesday, 3 June 2008
This evening I attended the 14 - 19 Diploma Event at the University of Leeds...
It was a great evening with a wonderful attendance by young people starting the Diplomas in 'Construction and the Built Environment' and 'Creative and Media Industries' this September, their teachers and parents and carers, business partners and colleagues from the university and colleges. I was delighted with what the Leeds Chamber and Education Leeds have achieved together and the way we are promoting Diplomas here in Leeds.
Chris
It was a great evening with a wonderful attendance by young people starting the Diplomas in 'Construction and the Built Environment' and 'Creative and Media Industries' this September, their teachers and parents and carers, business partners and colleagues from the university and colleges. I was delighted with what the Leeds Chamber and Education Leeds have achieved together and the way we are promoting Diplomas here in Leeds.
Chris
I also went to the Royal Armouries to meet up with Peter Armstrong, the Museum Director, to talk about how we can work more closely together...
The Royal Armouries is a fantastic resource on our doorstep and it's free! Peter talked to me about the exhibition they are hosting this Summer and Autumn with articles from the 'Lord of the Rings' films, the 'Narnia' films, the 'Last Samurai' film and others... sounds fantastic. We also discussed the work we are doing on weapons awareness and Be Safe! and how we might further develop this work to support all Leeds schools with this critical aspect of our work with young people.
Watch this space for further information.
Chris
Watch this space for further information.
Chris
I was invited to yet another STEPS celebration event yesterday...
These are all special events but this one was different in that it was for foster carers and it was facilitated by our first group of parent facilitators! It was another case of simply being there to listen to some wonderful foster carers telling their stories about the impact the programme has had on their lives and the lives of the children they care for... and it was magic!
Chris
These are all special events but this one was different in that it was for foster carers and it was facilitated by our first group of parent facilitators! It was another case of simply being there to listen to some wonderful foster carers telling their stories about the impact the programme has had on their lives and the lives of the children they care for... and it was magic!
Chris
Over half term I've been to two of my favourite places...Edinburgh and Oxford... to recharge the batteries, to relax and unwind and get ready for the challenges ahead.
Before the break, I did a brief presentation to the whole team involved in the Building Schools for the Future programme and another at the North East Area Management Board's 'Primary to High School Transfer' event. I went to Whitkirk Primary School to see Sheila Davenport and the Barnardo's Willows Young Carers team in action and to Brigshaw High School to see Kippax Ash Tree Primary School launch their Stephen Lawrence Education Standard with the 'Mighty Zulu Nation'.
I went to the South Leeds CLC to see the first judging of the 'Formula Schools' event where students from seven Leeds High Schools design and build a radio controlled racing car to compete at Silverstone! I also went to the 'Investors in Pupils' conference in Wakefield where young people from Blackgates Primary School and Boston Spa School were brilliant advocates and ambassadors for this fantastic programme.
The week before half term we were being assessed for the Customer Service Excellence Award which replaced the Chartermark Standard. We will find out the result of our assessment over the next couple of weeks, but in a week when the Education Leeds VI Team achieved the VI Quality Mark, the first team in the country to achieve this award, and we discovered that we are one of the four final nominations for the international Carl Bertelsmann Foundation Prize, we are as always expecting the best.
Whatever you do this week, remember that we have a lot to live up to and be your brilliant best.
Chris.
Before the break, I did a brief presentation to the whole team involved in the Building Schools for the Future programme and another at the North East Area Management Board's 'Primary to High School Transfer' event. I went to Whitkirk Primary School to see Sheila Davenport and the Barnardo's Willows Young Carers team in action and to Brigshaw High School to see Kippax Ash Tree Primary School launch their Stephen Lawrence Education Standard with the 'Mighty Zulu Nation'.
I went to the South Leeds CLC to see the first judging of the 'Formula Schools' event where students from seven Leeds High Schools design and build a radio controlled racing car to compete at Silverstone! I also went to the 'Investors in Pupils' conference in Wakefield where young people from Blackgates Primary School and Boston Spa School were brilliant advocates and ambassadors for this fantastic programme.
The week before half term we were being assessed for the Customer Service Excellence Award which replaced the Chartermark Standard. We will find out the result of our assessment over the next couple of weeks, but in a week when the Education Leeds VI Team achieved the VI Quality Mark, the first team in the country to achieve this award, and we discovered that we are one of the four final nominations for the international Carl Bertelsmann Foundation Prize, we are as always expecting the best.
Whatever you do this week, remember that we have a lot to live up to and be your brilliant best.
Chris.
Monday, 2 June 2008
One of the things that constantly hits me here at Education Leeds is our inability to keep it simple...
"The trouble with so many of us is that we underestimate the power of simplicity. We have a tendency it seems to over complicate our lives and forget what's important and what's not."Robert Stuberg
We are constantly looking for connections, partnerships and networks in a world that is increasingly complex and where there are so many experts, consultants and enablers. What we need is action people - colleagues who see a problem and pick it up and do something about it. Let's all agree that whatever we do, we will do the simple things that make a difference.
Chris
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