I finished the day at Morley Town Hall watching a performance of Summer School Musical...

The Summer School Musical was produced by a group of young people from Morley primary schools who had worked as a team during the week with Danny a musician, composer and vocalist, Tanya, a dancer and Naomi, a visual artist to produce a real celebration of music, art and culture. The Summer School Musical took us all on a journey starting in the 1960's with train travel to the seaside followed by a trip to Spain and ending with a Spanish fiesta.

Th project was funded by our Find Your Talent programme working with Rachael Holdgate, her team from the White Rose Learning Centre and Jamie, Rebekah, Luke and Charlotte; peer mentors from local high schools.
Chris

Every now and then I meet people who are simply brilliant at their job...

It could be the headteacher I met last week whose intelligence and understanding has re-engineered the culture in her school to achieve outstanding outcomes for her students. It could be the primary teacher I met recently whose focused and uncompromising work has unlocked the desire to learn and read in each young person whose life she touches. It could be the classroom assistant I met recently whose passion and commitment for the environment and developing school grounds has completely transformed the learning landscape at her school. It might be the exceptional colleagues I work with at Merrion House who anticipate my every need or it might be the colleague who delivers both high performance and is a great team player.

Brilliance, true brilliance, is something we all value. It's a joy to encounter someone who is truly exceptional at what they do. So the question is how can you become known as someone who consistently demonstrates real brilliance? Dirk and I have been talking about this recently. Colleagues who demonstrate brilliance work hard at it. Clearly the key is that persistence, motivation and commitment are all required to deliver your brilliant best but importantly everyone can do it! Colleagues who demonstrate brilliance have identified the things that turn them on, that inspire them and that give them that buzz and then worked hard to develop and master their performance. They have added knowledge, skill, experience and practice to consistently produce at the highest levels. By the way the best any of us can be with low motivation is adequate. No matter how hard we work and how much we desire it, in the long run we will never be brilliant at something we are not intesrested in or inspired by; without high levels of motivation you can forget it. In other words, however hard we work in areas where we are not motivated and where our heart isn't really in it, we resign ourselves to mediocrity.

Who wants to be mediocre? Who wants to be known as "satisfactory?" Wouldn't you rather try to be brilliant? The first step to unlocking your brilliant best is to know these things; what do you love doing... what really turns you on at work?... what would you do even if you weren't being paid?

And then the trick is to get someone to pay you to do it!
Chris

I had breakfast this morning with Maxine Room...

Maxine was Principal and Chief Executive at Park Lane College here in Leeds before it became the new Leeds City College and is leaving us to take up the leadership of the Lewisham College in South London. The College appointed Maxine as its new Principal and SHE will be the first black Principal of a general further education college in London, replacing Dame Ruth Silver DBE who is retiring after 17 years having taken the college from a once failing establishment to its current outstanding and Beacon status. Before joining Park Lane College, Maxine was Principal and Chief Executive of Swansea College, a post she held for over four years moving the college from good to great!

Maxine has been a breath of fresh air here in Leeds and she will be missed.
Chris

"Whatever you do, you need courage.

Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong.

There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right.

To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.

Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them."

The blog will again go quiet for a few days while I continue to get rid of the knots, unwind, relax, recharge and get ready for yet another brilliant year here in Leeds. I hope everyone out there manages to do the same. And remember when you are out there... think team, think family, think about the things that really, really matter and hold hands and stick together.

Take care.
Chris

I had a really interesting meeting this morning with Ger Graus, Chief Executive of the Children's University. The meeting had been arranged by Mark Hopkins and was also attended by Alison Shaffner from the Extended Services team, Andrea Cowans from the 14 - 19 team, Kes Sowerby from the Study Support team and John Price from the Find Your Talent team. We have an opportunity to develop the work that the Seacroft and Manston schools have been doing with the Children's University, with the Children's University providing some start up funding.

The Children's University is a national organisation that provides support to 7 to 14 year olds accessing an exciting and innovative menu of learning activities and experiences outside normal school hours. It celebrates the learning journey through a 'Passport to Learning' and recognises achievement and rewards participation through certificates and ceremonies. Raising children's aspirations is important to the Children's University which aims to develop the understanding that learning can help us all on our journeys to better places in life!

The Children's University could build on the brilliant work already going on in Leeds in Playing for Success, Study Support, Breeze, Find Your Talent and connect with every sports venue, museum, gallery, library, attraction, business and learning place in Leeds and across the City Region. Mark is going to set up a small working group to develop a Leeds Action Plan to take this forward and connect some of the pieces of brilliant work we are already doing to establish more of a learner entitlement for our 7 - 14 year olds across the city.

Watch this space.
Chris

I started the day early at the Learning Centre at Headingley...

This week is one of two weeks this Summer where John Bedford and his colleagues are releasing the magic at the two learning centres; Yorkshire Cricket and Leeds Rhinos. It was wonderful to see twenty, very lucky young people arriving for their second day at the Learning Centre and to see the relationships John and his colleagues have developed with these young people; many of whom have already experienced one of the Learning Centre programmes.

The more I see these Centres and the brilliant work they do the more I want to franchise the brand. Wouldn't it be great to have one in every school or at the very least one in every cluster in Leeds.
Chris

It doesn't matter where we look - school, classroom, staffroom, organisation, team, office - we need to ask ourselves the following questions...

• 'what are our strengths?'
• 'what are our weaknesses?'
• 'what does brilliant learning in brilliant learning places look like?'
• 'what do the pieces of the brilliant jigsaw puzzle look like?'
• 'where is it happening?'
• 'where are our stars?'
• 'which teams are releasing the magic?
• 'which individuals are releasing the magic?'
• 'can we share and learn from what we know works?'
• 'can we share and learn from what we know doesn't work?'
• 'how do we learn from our mistakes?'
• 'how can we turn our challenges and opportunities into adventures for our colleagues?'
• 'how can we give individuals and team opportunities to experiment, explore and take risks?'

How do we continue to build brilliant in a changing world?
All comments, suggestions and advice welcome.
Chris

"It's one more journey 'round the sun... to the end of another year.

You think of all the distance run, at the end of another year.

So many years we've been around, we've been up and we've been down,

We've been lost but we've been found at the end of another year.

We speak of all we'd like to do, we think of all that we've been through.

I'd just as soon be here with you at the end of another year"...

The blog will go quiet for a few days while I unwind, relax, recharge and get ready for yet another brilliant year here in Leeds. I hope everyone out there manages to do the same. And remember when you are out there... think team, think family, think about the things that really, really matter and hold hands and stick together.
Take care.
Chris

After a week of leavers assemblies, proms and parties I received this e-mail from Geoff Roberts
who is Chair of Governors at the West SILC...

"Having been to two Leavers' Assemblies today, I find myself humbled by what I have seen and heard. We help educate some of the most challenged pupils in Leeds and it has been an education and deeply moving to see and hear about their achievements. Ranging from one lad who has never missed a day's school in his life, to another who represented the school at a whole range of sports, to others who have achieved academic success that might not have been thought possible, others who have learned social skills that come naturally to most of us, and so on... Some are going on to college, some will stay on into our sixth form and all will remember the time they spent with us, as I will remember the time I spent with them today. What a pleasure to be with pupils who have not lost the innocence of childhood, who find pleasure in the simplest things and who reward you with their recognition.

I cannot praise these pupils too highly, nor indeed the staff who cope with the huge range of needs with a smile and patience and forbearance that goes beyond expectation. Every one of them deserves a relaxing break and to come back refreshed and keen to make a difference to the lives not only of our pupils but of their families and friends."

I am grateful to Geoff Roberts for this very timely reminder. It is easy to forget the incredible commitment of colleagues in the SILCs and the real difference they are making for some of our most vulnerable and special young people.
Chris

"It's one more journey 'round the sun... to the end of another year.
You think of all the distance run, at the end of another year.
So many years we've been around, we've been up and we've been down,
We've been lost but we've been found at the end of another year.

We speak of all we'd like to do, we think of all that we've been through.
I'd just as soon be here with you at the end of another year"...

Bob Zentz, 1995

Last week, I attended the official opening of the multi-faith centre at Allerton High School by Colin Jackson. The event was brought alive by performances by some of their students who talked and danced to illustrate the importance of their faith and their beliefs. I moved on to the celebration event for the VI teams' 'No Limits' programme which has continued to open up some fantastic opportunities for children with visual impairment here in Leeds. I visited Temple Moor High School and Science College to see the progress they are making as their new school building develops around them. I also popped into Templenewsam Halton Primary School, to see my colleague Kay Crellin who is still releasing the magic, and into Cross Flatts Park Primary School to see their allotment ,which Yorkshire Water has transformed through their 'Million Green Fingers' scheme.

I had dinner with the RM board and members from the Education Leeds board before both boards met at Pudsey Grangefield High School where we talked about brilliant learning, brilliant learning places, e-learning, EVOLVE and the way we can further develop the relationship to help us continue to build brilliant here in Leeds. I also attended the Leeds City Council meeting for five hours to watch the democratic process in action before I attended a brilliant production of the 'Wizard of Oz' at Castleton Primary School. This was another celebration of the potential and talent in Year 5 and 6 at one of our fantastic primary schools.

Cllr Richard Harker and I visited Allerton Bywater Primary School to congratulate the team on the wonderful progress they are making, and I was invited to the 'Leavers Party' at yet another amazing school, Hunslet Moor Primary School, to celebrate yet another incredible group of young people now moving on to secondary school. I also attended the governing body meeting at Woodlands Primary School to talk about a more responsive and supportive approach to child protection cases, and the primary schools pilot we are developing to address in a more co-ordinated and holistic way an 'Every Child Matters' and 'Every Family Matters' approach in some of our most deprived communities. And finally, I met with Peter Roberts, chief executive and principal of the new Leeds City College, to talk about the opportunities and challenges we face with developing learning, skills and the 14 - 19 offer across the city.

At the end of yet another school year we can all look back proudly at what we have achieved over the last eleven great months, forty seven great weeks and three hundred and thirty great days. However, as the results of all our effort and energy turns into performance tables, performance indicators and traffic light ratings we know that we will need to redouble our efforts and do even more next year. We will face new challenges, new opportunities and new demands in a year where we need to continue to be unique, special and different, to be creative and imaginative, to try new things, to learn new tricks and to continue to make a real difference… whatever it takes!

Enjoy your summer holiday; all I ask is that you come to work next year to make a difference, to get things done and simply to be your brilliant best!
Chris