After nearly ten years here in Leeds we know how to deliver outstanding outcomes and build brilliant teams...



You don't need to look elsewhere to see great teams and brilliant leadership. Simply look around. Start with Jim Hopkinson and the Youth Offending Team or Bridget Mork and the Parent Partnership Team or Sally Threlfall and the Early Years Team or Ann Cowling and the Healthy Schools Team or simply fill in your own nomination for team of the year. Wherever you look there are simply extraordinary colleagues releasing the magic where it really matters.

So what are the ten tips?

1. Get to know your colleagues.
2. Keep asking your colleagues how things are going, what needs improving and what we can do better.
3. Delegate twice as much as you're currently doing to trust and empower your colleagues.
4. Constantly check colleague's understanding of what you are expecting them to do.
5. Set the direction and always be totally clear what you want.
6. Constantly and genuinely praise colleagues for doing the right things.
7. Constantly communicate and keep colleagues informed.
8. Consult with everyone about as much as you possibly can.
9. Listen constantly and ask your colleagues how they'd do things.
10. When colleagues are not performing well be really hard on the problem not on the people.

It's not rocket science we can continue to build brilliant and release the magic if we simply understand that everyone can do it and the keys are simply persistence, determination and sheer hard work.
Chris

You may have seen the article in the Yorkshire Evening Post and the headline 'Education Leeds chief executive quits'...

The article, with that great picture of me, correctly goes on to say that:


"Education Leeds chief executive Chris Edwards will leave his post at the end of the year. His contract was due to end on March 31 as Education Leeds merges into a new Children's Services department. Education Leeds is a not-for-profit company set up in response to a damning Ofsted report on the council's education department. Mr Edwards told the YEP: "I thought it was important we should move on in terms of the new arrangements, and I have got other things to do. I can't say what they are at the moment. I am going through a series of options, which are a mix of business and pleasure. I have spent nine years in Leeds and, before that, five years in York in helping young people achieve their potential. I am basically a teacher at heart and will continue to work with children and young people."


Mr Edwards has commuted from York as he did not wish to upset his three children's education. He said: "My biggest satisfaction is the results we have achieved in Leeds with 3,300 more children each year getting five GCSEs at grades A to C." Persistent absence in secondary schools is a key government measure and in the last three years alone Leeds has seen a decrease of 22 per cent. During Mr Edwards's tenure, nearly £500m has been secured from central government. Since 2006, some £260m of Building Schools for The Future money has been invested in secondary schools. Education Leeds was also listed this year in The Times top 75 'Best Companies to work for in the Public Sector' category.


Tom Riordan, chief executive of Leeds City Council, said: "I wish to thank Chris for his hard work and dedication to improving learning across the city. Over the last nine years, there has been a significant improvement in educational achievement."


Sally Boulton, head teacher at Rothwell Haigh Road Infant School and chairman of Leeds Head Teachers' Forum, said: "Chris has worked tirelessly to encourage head teachers and their staff to explore creatively how learning can be made real, exciting and lasting."


I'll be around for the next nine and a bit weeks to say goodbye to all those friends and colleagues who have made this job such an extra-ordinary experience. Big cities are simply wonderful places full of amazing people, creativity, innovation, imagination and the WOW factor. I can honestly say that I have never had a single dull day during, what will be at 31 December, 500 weeks in this wonderfully rich, diverse and brilliant city.
Chris

BUILDING BRILLIANT!

"The last 20 years have seen lots of new school types - and they have made no difference"...



I suspect many colleagues will have missed Ron Glatter's insight in last week's TES but it makes really interesting reading about what we need to do to build brilliant and ensure that every young person attends a great school. In case you missed it:


"The apparent reluctance of schools to accept Education Secretary Michael Gove's invitation to convert to academy status may be due to a growing realisation that structural change can bring more costs than benefits. Along with other parts of the public sector, education has experienced almost a quarter of a century of continual restructuring, what the political scientist Christopher Pollitt called "redisorganisation". This appeals to politicians because they think they will be able to demonstrate a quick fix - that the structural buttons they have pressed will rapidly transform results. There is no convincing evidence for this belief. When I recently reviewed studies of the effects of the varieties of new school formats of the past 20 years, notably grant-maintained and specialist ones, it became clear that the status of the school didn't in itself contribute to any improvements. Any gains were the result of outside factors such as differences in intake or extra funding.
 A typical finding was that from the five-year evaluation of the academies programme by PricewaterhouseCoopers for the last government: "There is insufficient evidence to make a judgment about the academies as a model for school improvement." Nor does increasing competition between schools reliably lead to higher standards, according to a recent review of international research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies. But there are huge costs to these changes that are generally not taken into account. For example, making the school system very complex for parents to understand disadvantages many and produces more social division. The holy grail of these policies is to give schools more independence. But how beneficial is this? Anthony Seldon, the Master of Wellington College, has said there are three factors that mainly account for the stronger academic performance of the top private schools: a far higher ratio of subject specialists; much smaller sizes of classes - around half the size of those in state schools; and higher parental expectations. None of these is to do with their degree of independence, nor with some mystical ethos that could be transferred. So expecting state schools to mimic the private school set-up without bestowing similar advantages on them won't bring equivalent success.

 In practice, the extra autonomy is never given to every state school, which would make the system unmanageable. It's given differentially, so some get more powers over admissions, the curriculum and buildings, together with extra funding, while others remain as they are. The dangers with the conferment of this kind of privileged status are obvious: academic and social divisions and false hierarchies are likely to multiply. Some categories of school, currently academies in particular, become political "favourites" and their success has to be engineered. International research points up the risks of persisting with such an approach. Studies by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development show that the most successful countries, both in terms of overall performance and the relative performance of disadvantaged students, have secondary education systems that are unified not divided. Sweden, so often cited now in discussion about schools policy, has been making strenuous efforts, not least in a very recent Education Act, to bring all its schools, whether state or independent, into a common administrative and regulatory framework.

A number of lessons emerge. We should be very sceptical about the predicted benefits of structural changes, especially those designed to put some types of publicly funded school, such as academies, on a radically different footing from others. The National Audit Office has warned that the planned expansion of academies carries significant risks. The costs of such changes, including the non-financial ones such as disruption, distraction and public confusion, should be fully factored in. A mature democracy should provide for the genuine assent of stakeholders to be sought and obtained. The heavy vote against the academies policy at the recent Lib Dem conference in Liverpool tells its own story about the policy's legitimacy. Most importantly, rather than structural change whose educational value has not been demonstrated, attention should focus on less headline grabbing and more productive tasks, such as enhancing teacher quality and school leadership. The initial response to Gove's blandishments suggests these lessons have not been lost on the educational community."


Ron Glatter is emeritus professor of educational administration and management at the Open University.
 This is a really thought provoking piece and if we are serious about all our children and if it's true that there are no quick fixes then the solutions to the problems we all face are to think team and to build team. It would be great to think that there was a magic bullet which could ensure the success of every young person and mean that every school becomes a brilliant learning place overnight.


Actually I do know what makes brilliant and that is partly what the blog has been about for the last four years. Imagine what would happen if we could get everyone engaged, committed and passionate about learning, the craft of the classroom and to focus on sharing our best practice and making it consistent.  Imagine what would happen if we created a unified, united and combined approach so that every child and every young person whatever their background goes to a great school where they have the opportunities and the support to achieve their potential. We would simply have a world class learning system here in Leeds.


What I do know, after 36 years in this business, is that it isn't rocket science and we can all do it!
Chris

I have spent ten wonderful years here in Leeds and we have achieved extra-ordinary things together...



My last ten years have been incredible and wherever you look together we have transformed the learning landscape and achieved brilliant outcomes. I am deeply proud of what we have achieved; grateful for your support, encouragement and feedback and blessed to have been part of an experiment that has achieved so much. With the Education Leeds contract coming to an end, I have decided to leave Education Leeds at Christmas and my last working day will be 17 December.


THANK YOU
Chris

In case anyone out there missed it, Stephen Parkinson PhD, Professor Emeritus and Chairman of the Education Leeds Board, sent this message out yesterday...



"Dear Colleagues, Chris Edwards, Chief Executive of Education Leeds will be leaving the company on 31st December 2010. Chris has made an outstanding contribution to the work of Education Leeds in transforming the learning experience of young people in Leeds and the Board is very grateful for his visionary leadership and commitment over the years. Between now and the end of December there will be several opportunities to fully record our appreciation before Chris leaves. For now, many thanks Chris for a brilliant job, well done! Stephen Parkinson."

We all know, that it is the quality of the teaching team that makes for brilliant learning...

Research has shown that there is a fourfold difference between the most effective and least effective classrooms and that ensuring greater consistency is one of our greatest challenge. Teachers and classroom assistants must be the best learners in their classroom because children pick up 'learning power' by example as much as anything. 
Chris

I joined a gym recently and the calorie counter on the machines is simply scary...

It's difficult to believe that:

• 15 minutes lifting weights equals the 100 calories in one small cappuccino;
• 75 minutes of stretching equals the 220 calories in a small mars bar;
• 15 minutes on the stairclimber equals the 129 calories in a can of coke;
• 30 minutes running on the treadmill at 10kmph equals the 400 calories in one blueberry muffin;
• 50 minutes on indoor rower equals the 450 calories in a large slice of cheesecake;
• 19 minutes on elliptical trainer equals the 95 calories in a medium size banana;
• 30 minutes of aerobics equals the 163 calories in a small pack of raisins;
• 10 minutes on the exercise bike equals the 55 calories in a low-fat fruit yoghurt.

Scary stuff really!
Chris

People constantly tell me that exercise is the best way to lose weight and I am increasingly worried about predictions that 50 per cent of our children will be overweight or obese adults by 2030...

Everything I have read recently suggests that exercise as a means of losing weight has been exaggerated and that putting the emphasis on exercise means that we are unlikely to tackle obesity. I know that exercise releases endorphins, reduces depression, and has a major impact on heart disease, some cancers, diabetes, and dementia and it is obvious that we live longer and healthier when we exercise. The truth, I am told, is that other than stopping smoking, there is nothing you can do for yourself that is better than exercise or is there! Isn't it true that we are what we eat!

Please let me know what you think!
Chris

Over the last ten years I hav spent time with so many exceptional people...

It's actually encouraging that the potential to be exceptional exists within everyone of us and personally over thirty five years experience has taught me that there are no exceptions. Being exceptional is not defined by what you have or what you do, rather it depends critically on your attitude and the decisions you make. I know from personal experience that extraordinary achievers are ordinary people, like you and me, who make extraordinary decisions about the events in their lives. Our decisions drive our destiny and shape our future.

It would be easy to explain away other peoples success–- they had a lucky break, they had a better education, they had wealthier parents, they went to a better school, they lived on a better estate. Yet the truth of the matter is that attitude makes the difference between extraordinary achievements and mediocre results. You can achieve anything you believe you can achieve with persistence, determination and hard work. All the exceptional people I know have made clear decisions about themselves, their future and their goals.

While you can’t change your past and the challenges we are all facing may “seem” insurmountable, almost every aspect about your future is yet to be decided. You can choose to write your own future and become exceptional. As we face an uncertain and changing learning landscape the choice is yours.
Chris

I know times are tough but we all need to stay positive...

Make sure that over the next few weeks and months you:

• Manage your diary to create space to think and plan;
• Focus on the things that have gone really well;
• Find allies and friends to give you support and encouragement;
• Give colleagues things to do that will build capacity;
• Stay in touch with the real world of schools and classrooms;
• Look for the little things that make a big difference;
• Collect bits of magic to keep the soul alive!

Whatever you do… do something positive!
Chris

Whatever happens as we move forward into 2011 and the new Children's Services arrangements, it will be a year of new beginnings, new colleagues, new challenges and new opportunities…

Next year is going to be a year where we all need to continue to be different, to be creative, to try new things, to learn new tricks and to continue to make a real difference… whatever it takes! I suppose the most important thing is to embrace change and to celebrate the opportunities it brings. I know that change is hard but it allows us all the chance to reflect, to review and to focus. It allows us the opportunity to spring clean, to ensure that we are doing the right things and to stop doing the things that don't make a difference.

Leeds is a great city and we must continue to develop and support 'Team Leeds'. We all have choices to make about where we work and what we do but we have invested so much and shed so much blood, sweat and tears in building what everyone agrees about; a highly effective and highly efficient education and learning service. Things are going to be tough but we all know what we do when the going gets tough; we roll up our sleeves and get on with the most important thing any society or community or Government or country does... we work even harder to ensure that our children and our young people are happy, healthy, safe and increasingly successful... whatever it takes!
Chris
Chris

Education Leeds is going to wind up as a company at the end of March 2011 after ten extra-ordinary years making a difference here in Leeds...

In Education Leeds we have created a real centre of learning excellence where brilliant, taklented colleagues do amazing things. Simply look at some of the creative, innovative materials and ideas we have developed over the last few years; the Stephen Lawrence Education Standard, Bluewave Swift, the Leeds Inclusion Chartermark, Investors in Pupils and Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month. Simply look at the teams that have established themselves as best in class; the Parent Partnership Service, our Admissions Team, our Deaf and Hearing Impaired Team, our Visually Impaired Team, Our Families and Schools Together Team, our Finance Team, our HR Team, our Governor Support Service, our Healthy Schools Team, Leeds Mentoring and Education Leeds itself. We have won awards for everything from Building Schools for the Future to Customer Service Excellence, from Beacon Awards to Times 100 Best Places to Work in the Public Sector.

What makes Education Leeds such an amazing place?
I have reflected on this for a long time since the Council made it's decision to end the contract with Education Leeds. Especially as the review stated that the new arrangements should build on the achievements of the company. The answers are simple:

• Distributed intelligent leadership;
• An empowering, engaging and creative culture;
• Beautiful systems that reinforce and develop the culture; and
• A belief in people's extra-ordinary potential and talent.

Let me know what you think makes Education Leeds such a great place to work, to learn and to be part of?

Chris

My colleague Pat Toner, Director of Organisational Improvement here at Education Leeds sent me this bit of good sense this morning...

"Colleagues, I offer this from recent NHS material on leading and managing radical change. The first and most fundamental change for everyone involved (throughout the whole workforce) is to start thinking in terms of creating a 'new' organisation, even though it's migrating from an existing one. The focus of leaders needs to be on creating and sustaining commitment and trust, as this will take the organisation through the current challenges towards a new environment. In addition, we ought to consider the implementation of a set of management codes designed to promote commitment and trust and linking this with performance and productivity.Whilst this scenario involves the complete organisation, the same principles can be applied by individual line managers faced with making change within their own area of control. Other suggestions include:

• Help the organisation to be clear about its purpose;
• Identify the beliefs and values that the new organisation wishes to put into practice, and this will become the cultural foundations within which managers and staff will be expected to behave;
• Identify the architecture that will help promote the values and beliefs (let's hope they include commitment, trust and engagement),
• Look at the 'rules' of how the organisation is meant to work (ensure the 'rules' promote commitment and trust),
• Identify the levels of skill needed to implement the 'rules' and embark on training programmes.

I hope this is helpful, Pat"

When faced with the scale and complexity of the changes we are facing in local government it is good to be reminded that culture, values, beliefs, commitment and trust must drive the change you want to see in the world!
Chris

We can do anything, well almost anything, if we are prepared to work at it...

After ten years here in Leeds I am fed up with people telling me it can't be done because it can and it is and it will continue to be by those colleagues who are passionate, committed and believe. The answer to achieving outstanding outcomes is determination, persistence and hard work. The challenge as always is are you disciplined enough and focused enough to make things happen. Whether its stopping smoking, losing weight, learning a new skill, a new language or even starting your own business as always it's up to you!
Chris

"The principal goal of education... should be creating men and women who are capable of doing new things... men and women who are creative, inventive, and discoverers." Jean Piaget

Life is never ever dull in Leeds, and the last year has once again showed us the outstanding practice, the incredible young people, and the inspirational colleagues that exist in this amazing city. Change is happening wherever we look at a frightening pace, and all of the organisations we currently know and understand are being completely reinvented as I write. We need to work within the opportunities this presents to build a new schools and learning system for this new world. A learning system to equip our little learners with the skills they need to be successful bigger learners and to be successful in a world that is changing beyond recognition. A learning system where every little learner is a reader, write and counter by seven or eight, a powerful little learner by the time they leave primary school and on a pathway to success by the time they leave secondary school. We need to continue to build brilliant learning places with the team around the school supporting the team around the child and the family at the heart of our communities, with strong local engagement and powerful and committed governance. We need to nurture talent, creativity and imagination wherever we can find it, and we need to share and network the things that work and stop doing those that don’t!

We must continue to build brilliant and never settle for satisfactory when what we do can be outstanding. OK, satisfactory is easy, predictable and anyone can do it... well almost anyone! At the start of yet another great year in Leeds, my last, let’s agree that we will never settle for things that are just good enough when with a bit of energy and effort we can be outstanding. We must all set new goals and to strive, work and struggle, each and every day, to be extraordinary, to be outstanding and to be brilliant… whatever it takes!
Chris

After lunch I visited another great school in South Leeds...

I had been invited to Cross Flatts Park Primary Schools' 'Party on the Park' which celebrated another great year of working together for the success of the community the school serves so well and the launch of their work to achieve the Stephen Lawrence Education Standard. It was really wonderful to share in their celebrations and to listen to the children singing 'You can get it if you really want', 'Fly the Flag' the World Cup anthem and 'Something Inside So Strong'.

"The higher you build your barriers
The taller I become
The farther you take my rights away
The faster I will run
You can deny me
You can decide to turn your face away
No matter, cos there's....

Something inside so strong
I know that I can make it
Tho' you're doing me wrong, so wrong
You thought that my pride was gone
Oh no, something inside so strong
Oh oh oh oh oh something inside so strong

The more you refuse to hear my voice
The louder I will sing
You hide behind walls of Jericho
Your lies will come tumbling
Deny my place in time
You squander wealth that's mine
My light will shine so brightly
It will blind you
Cos there's......

Something inside so strong
I know that I can make it
Tho' you're doing me wrong, so wrong
You thought that my pride was gone
Oh no, something inside so strong
Oh oh oh oh oh something inside so strong."

It was great to see the enthusiasm and energy, the passion and commitment and the difference these colleagues are making working with families and the community.

Chris

I started the day at one of my favourite schools...

My colleague Narinder Gill, headteacher at Hunslet Moor Primary School, had invited me to their special assembly focusing on sustainability and global issues linked to our Green Day celebrations last week. The school's Eco Council gave me a recycled bag full of goodies which had the following message on the front...

Taking Small Steps to Greater Things

We should live our lives on this planet by

following the secret to making perfect footprints in sand...

Tread lightly, taking every step with care,

leave your imprint without any lasting damage.

The assembly was brilliant the choir sang a Joni Mitchell song, we had an amazing 'recycle, reuse and renew' scrap fashion show and everyone sang the world cup anthem 'Fly your Flag' which was fantastic. This is a great school and the assembly simply showed the potential, the magic and what a great job the team at Hunslet Moor are doing in their community. The children gave me this fabulous picture which I now have hanging on the wall in my room with its' message that 'education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world'.

Brilliant!

Chris

There is a growing body of evidence that as we face this perfect storm, where nothing seems to provide comfort and reassurance about the future, colleagues are becoming increasingly frustrated...

However, it may be reassuring to know that we are not alone! A recent Hay Group study found that nearly 60% of people were seriously considering leaving or actively looking for new jobs. Worse still, a further 35% said they were only holding off because there weren't any jobs to go to! I have discussed this with colleagues and the question is how do we manage in such uncertain times?

These are some of the suggestions colleagues have come up with:

1. DEVELOP NEW MODELS
Have we got a “lean enough and mean enough” structure to survive after the storm? Are are obsessive about reducing hierarchy, simplifying decision making, and shortening lines of communication? Can we generate a list of unnecessary things that are getting in our way, and then work on removing them. Send me your list and I'll show you mine!

2. BUILD BRILLIANT LEARNING PLACES
How do we make sure that all our work places are great places to work and places where talented people want to work? How do we improve and develop the workplace and show some more interest in people as people? Send me your list and I'll show you mine!

3. BUILD BEAUTIFUL SYSTEMS
Are our systems, processes and procedures beautiful: clear, efficient and elegant so that they support our culture and our work? Can you think of ways to make things better, or make the work more interesting? Send me your list and I'll show you mine!

4. USE TECHNOLOGY
How do we exploit the latest IT and web-based solutions to deliver our services more efficiently and more effectively to provide a more intimate and personalised service to our customers and clients? Send me your list and I'll show you mine!

5. CELEBRATE EXCELLENCE
How do we reward and recognise colleagues contributions to ensure that people feel part of something special and they are appreciated for their unique added value? Send me your list and I'll show you mine!

What are your suggestions and additions to this starter for five?
Chris

We face a real challenge as we all wrestle with the perfect storm we are facing...

What we all need at a time like this is something to believe in; something we can trust about the future, something we can put our faith in as we build the new arrangements for children's services here in Leeds. The real danger is that increasingly colleagues start to believe that things are going to get worse and that all the things that have improved and developed over the last nine and a bit years start to slip away. We all know that the real danger lies in the challenge we face with managing the budget while the new Government frees up schools and rapidly increases the number of Academies but we need to remember that there are as always opportunities for talented, creative colleagues. Always remember that the best way to predict the future is to invent it for yourself!
Chris

Leadership Matters!

In this crazy topsy turvy world where everything is up for debate and everything is changing while we speak we all know that we need strong, decisive and passionate leadership...

However, there are times when we need different and sometimes contradictory approaches to leadership. Sometimes as leaders we need to be the cleverest person on the block: having a clear vision, being totally focused and determined, setting the direction, knowing what skills are needed to accomplish our goals, having the best financial mind to manage the resourcess of the company. Sometimes as leaders we need to adopt a command and control approach: being decisive, determined and simply getting on with things. And importantly, sometimes as leaders we need to be more reflective, to let others have their way, to create time for reflection and to allow for creative and imaginative approaches to ensure that everyone comes with us on this journey to a better place.
Chris

Goal Setting!

We all know that setting goals and personal targets has been a vital tool for everyone in Education Leeds. It has given us our long-term vision as well as helping with our short-term motivation...

By setting clearly defined goals and targets we have been able to measure and constantly and consistently celebrate our achievements and our successes and focus on the areas where we are not achieving great outcomes. I know people talk about consistency but so much of what we are doing across Leeds is world class, outstanding and extra-ordinary; whatever anyone says we have achieved great things together. I know that many organisations I work with struggle with that long pointless grind as they move towards the barely adequate but our culture of success and our search for the exceptional means that we have seen some simply breathtaking progress and some remarkable achievements beacuse colleagues feel trusted, empowered, energised and release their magic simply because they passionately believe in what they are doing. By setting ourselves goals, which we have worked towards with real discipline, rigour and focus, we have raised colleagues self-esteem and self-confidence, and helped colleagues recognise their ability, potential and confidence. The first step in setting personal goals is to consider what you want to achieve; what you want to do with your wild and precious life now, tomorrow or 10 years into the future.

Chris

When we are dealing with the challenges we currently face and when the going gets tough we need to stay positive and stay focused on the things that matter, in our lives, our work, and in our relationships...

We all face a difficult, changing and potentially chaotic future where individuals, families, children, organizations, and businesses all face accelerating change, massive challenges and increasing problems. We must all stay positive and develop the ability to see opportunities as we cope with these challenges. We must develop the ability to bounce back from difficulties and setbacks and to get back up when we are knocked down and to continue to produce awesome results, even in the most difficult circumstances. We must learn to cope successfully with failure, now, and in the future. Learning to deal creatively with failure is a key to our success.

It is important that we understand that there is a great difference between failing to achieve a result and the conclusion you draw from that outcome. Those who stay down make a judgment that they have failed, not just their attempt. Moreover, they often generalize from their “failures” to illogical conclusions such as, “I am a loser,” and “I will probably always fail. Therefore, they assume, there is no point in getting up. So they quit, give up, seek a comfortable niche, lose themselves in alcohol, other drugs, shopping, or overwork, where they can avoid facing what they consider to be failure.

However, old wisdom says that the sooner we make our first 5000 mistakes, the sooner we will learn how to do anything really well. New wisdom talks about trying many things, failing fast and often, and learning lots and quickly. We must take small risks, make many small mistakes and learn each time. Try, try, try again. That is how we learn, in art or school or business—and most importantly in life.

In art, work, love, and life, there is no failure, just feedback!

Chris

As we all face the 'perfect storm' we need to stay positive and remember that those of us who work hard and play hard and always give our best will always be in demand...

Malcolm Gladwell is a writer with 'The New Yorker' and is one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People. He is the author of three bestsellers: 'The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference', 'Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking' and 'Outliers: The Story of Success'. In this brilliant book, Malcolm Gladwell argues that it is practice that makes perfect. Ability, according to Gladwell, is just one factor in success. Work ethic, luck, a strong support base and even being born in the right year play a far larger role. Gladwell argues that there is no such thing as a “self-made man”. Instead, the years spent intensively focused on their area of expertise place the world’s most successful people above their peers. Gladwell argues that luck, persistence, determination and hard work are the keys to success. So for us mere mortals the key to success and the answer to building brilliant is practice, practice, practice.
Chris

"All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pit at school. These are the things I learned:

• Share everything.
• Play fair.
• Don't hit people.
• Put things back where you found them.
• Clean up your own mess.
• Don't take things that aren't yours.
• Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
• Wash your hands before you eat.
• Flush.
• Warm biscuits and cold milk are good for you.
• Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
• Take a nap every afternoon.
• When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
• Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
• Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
• And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living. Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had biscuits and milk at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess. And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out in the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together."

Robert Fulghum.

Only seven weeks before the Summer holidays start, and then only another fourteen working weeks before Christmas with a final twelve school weeks before the contract comes to an end and Education Leeds is consigned to the history books...

So we only have thirty three working school weeks to go before a new dawn where a new children's services arrangement slides seamlessly into place and carries on the work we have been doing for the last ten years. Over the next thirty three weeks we must continue to work to make a real difference and to ensure that our legacy is much more than brilliant buildings, improved results and better outcomes. Our real legacy must be a cultural one; where our values and beliefs continue to shape provision and change lives; where our leadership continues to empower, engage and encourage colleagues to give their best; and where our systems and processes connect powerfully with best practice to release the magic.
Keep the faith!
Chris

There are some very hard decisions ahead for all of us with a very significant budget challenge on top of the situation we are currently facing....

Senior Government officials are talking about ‘savage and horrendous cuts’ to all our budgets to balance the budget deficit we currently face. We clearly need to work smarter, better, more closely and be more efficient and effective in everything we do. We all know that public services can and must deliver excellent, outstanding and brilliant services to the children, young people, families, citizens and communities we all serve. We need to think differently, think creatively and imaginatively and connect and use all our resources better. We need to look at how we can develop trust and empower communities and think family. We need to encourage and support more social enterprise, more use of the third sector, more use of public companies and more focus on shared responsibilities and community engagement and volunteering.

We must all ask ourselves what a modern highly effective and highly efficient local authority looks like… what it must do?... what it should do?... and what it can do?
Chris

I was supposed to be in Stockholm today...

I was due to be speaking at The Stockholm Summit 'Leaders in School Education' 2010 about our work and what we have achieved here in Leeds but the ash cloud cometh again and I wasn't able to get there. It's a shame because the speakers also included Andy Hargreaves, Brian Annan, John Mann and David Hopkins who are all inspirational. Still I suppose as always it is better to be safe than sorry!
Chris

Be your brilliant best!

How often do you have coaching conversations that help and encourage colleagues to improve their performance and how many of these conversations really made a difference?

Leaders need to coach and encourage their colleagues. Being a great coach challenges us to engage in a different kind of conversation; ones that deal with passion, performance, aspiration, values, successes and failures – topics that are often uncomfortable, difficult and emotionally charged. Great coaching means that we must engage in these tricky and difficult conversations.

We must ask each other the questions that need to be asked:

• How do you think you are performing?
• Are you passionate about what you are doing?
• What would you do if you could choose to do anything?
• Are you doing your very best work?,
• What stopping you being outstanding?

These are dangerous questions because they raise issues that are uncomfortable for even the most experienced leaders. However, if we want to release the magic and be our brilliant best we need to all develop the habit of having these important conversations every day.
Chris

Tell it like it is!

Whether we like it or not, your colleagues know what you think of them and we all know that children, young people, colleagues and friends live up to, or down to, our expectations of them. ...

When we think of our colleagues as unique, talented, creative and developing, they know and as a result will like working with us. They will like how they feel about themselves. They will want to work with us, and will go beyond the call of duty for us. They will allow us to make mistakes, get things wrong and be human because we have gained their trust, their loyalty and their commitment – rare commodities in today's dog eat dog world. That is the real strength of Education Leeds; the coaching culture we have developed; a culture that is constantly, relentlessly and uncompromisingly asking us to stretch and develop to be our brilliant best.

So if we want to coach colleagues for brilliant performance, we must begin by thinking the best of them. Only then can we raise and stretch their awareness of their uniqueness, their strength, and their potential. By being appreciative, supportive and caring we help our colleagues overcome the limitations they have imposed upon themselves, and significantly develop the possibilities and opportunities available to them. Great coaches leaves a legacy of people who know their strengths, know their abilities and, as a result, reach beyond what they believed was possible. Great coaching is a relationship that sees colleagues at their very best; challenges them to examine their own gifts, talents and aspirations and, ultimately, holds them accountable to become their brilliant best.
Chris

Why do Finland's children score some of the highest average results in the whole of the developed world...

The Finnish philosophy with education is that everyone has something to contribute and those who struggle in certain subjects should not be left behind. The children are not streamed or setted but are all kept in the same classroom, regardless of their ability in that particular subject.

Interestingly Finnish children spend the fewest number of hours in the classroom in the developed world. This reflects another important theme of Finnish education. All through schools are common in Finland where primary and secondary schooling is combined, so the pupils don't have to change schools and so avoid the potentially disruptive transition from primary school to secondary school.

Children in Finland only start main school at age seven. The idea is that before then they learn best when they're playing and by the time they finally get to school they are keen to start learning. Finnish parents and carers play an important part in achieving these impressive results. There is a culture of reading at home and families have regular contact with their children's teachers. The educational system's success in Finland also seems to be part cultural. Finland also has low levels of immigration. So when pupils start school the majority have Finnish as their native language, eliminating an obstacle that other societies often face.

The system's success is built on the keep it simple principle. Teaching is a prestigious career in Finland and teachers are highly valued and teaching standards are high. There is an emphasis on trust and workforce development in relaxed schools, free from political prescription. This combination, they believe, means that no child is left behind.

Chris

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

Theodore Roosevelt

As we face yet another year here in Leeds, and sadly our last together as Education Leeds, we need to celebrate our incredible achievements with education, learning and schools, nurture and support the brilliant initiatives we are involved in and marvel at the people we have become...

These things are all the consequences of the journeys we have been on as individuals over the last however many years. Personally, I have been doing this for over 36 years and if we collect together the talent, the wisdom, the experience, the knowledge and understanding and the insight we have across Leeds what can't we achieve together... no-one can tell me that we can't build world class learning here in Leeds and continue to create brilliant learners, brilliant learning places and brilliant learning communities.

Of course I know that we are travelling through difficult and troubled times and that many of us have struggled over the years against command and control, missives from DCSF, OFSTEDs limiting judgements and frameworks, other national frameworks and potential straight-jackets which have in many ways limited and constrained learning rather than liberating and enabling it. This is an important time for those of us who are passionate about learning and how we create brilliant learners, brilliant learning places and brilliant learning organisations. As we wait for the 'perfect storm' we simply can't continue to tinker, to fiddle, to refine and to adjust the controls every five minutes... the current systems simply aren't fit for purpose!

The fundamental challenge is that the world is becoming increasingly complex, increasingly diverse and how we connect and communicate in this new conceptual age is critical to our success as individuals, as communities, as a city and as a country. Everything is changing and we had better wake up, stop looking backwards and start looking forwards. Looking forwards to a digital world, a world driven by abundance, automation, technology and global skills. We must understand that intelligence is everywhere... it is rich and diverse, it is dynamic and it is unique to each and everyone of us and not restricted to a priviledged and special few. As Dirk would say everyone is bright and everyone has a talent... it's the educators job to find it and to nurture and grow it.

We have missed the point with our never-ending focus and attention on testing and data and accountability and we must refocus our collective energies on creating a more personal, a more vivid, a more engaging and more stimulating offer for ALL our children, our young people, our families and our communities. If we are going to succeed in this challenge we must develop three things in our children, our families and our communities... creativity, capability and confidence. We must re-imagine our learning places and build.. brilliant leadership, brilliant teaching and intelligent assessment and accountability systems. We must work together to invent pathways to learning, pathways to excellence, pathways to success.

We must transform our provision... buidling on the outstanding practice we have here in Leeds and getting rid of the irrelevant, the redundant and the obsolete which clutters our lives. We must radically change the way we encourage, coach, nurture and support our children and young people, our families and our communities to become brilliant learners. This is fundamentally a partnership enterprise, a community enterprise, a cultural enterprise, an economic enterprise and above all it's a passionate enterprise.

And by the way anyone can join in!

Chris

'When the going gets tough, the tough get going.'

This year will be about attitude, determination and persistence. If you want to be successful in any aspect of your life you need great support, a lot of luck and to work hard, be determined and be persistent. There will always be people who will tell you that things can't be any different, that you are wrong to search for better things and that what you are doing is impossible to achieve.

Persistence is the powerful force that keeps pushing you on when that little voice in your head is telling you to quit. Persistence is an intense desire to succeed. You either have it or you don’t but the good news is that persistence is a state of mind and you can develop persistence. Now is the time to be more persistent than ever. Now is the time for us all to step up. Persistence will reward us all for our efforts when we achieve our goals.
Chris

"Another year is fast approaching. Go be that starving artist you’re afraid to be. Open up that journal and get poetic finally. Volunteer. Suck it up and travel. You were not born here to work and pay taxes. You were put here to be part of a vast organism to explore and create. Stop putting it off. The world has much more to offer than what’s on 15 televisions at TGI Fridays. Take pictures. Scare people. Shake up the scene.
Be the change you want to see in the world."
Jason Mraz

More Success for Schools in Leeds

Seven Leeds schools have been recognised as being among the highest achievers in the country...

Woodkirk High Specialist Science School; St Mary's School, Menston; Otley Prince Henry's Grammar School Specialist Language College; Horsforth School ; Guiseley School Technology College; Garforth Community College and Abbey Grange CE High School feature on a list of high-attaining schools published by the Specialist Schools and Academic Trust after all hit targets of 60 per cent or more students achieving five or more A*-C GCSEs including English and mathematics; 53.7 per cent or more with two or more A* -C GCSEs in science subjects and 31.6 per cent or more with at least one A*-C GCSEs in modern foreign languages.
BRILLIANT NEWS
Chris

Mike Chitty sent me this post...

"Chris, If you think making change is hard you should try making progress. Change is inevitable. Progress is not."


I agree with Mike and the interesting thing is that wherever I have worked in local government, in Wolverhampton, North Yorkshire, York and now here in Leeds, we have made great progress. I believe that the real keys to success lie in developing great leadership everywhere across the organisation, valuing, empowering and trusting talented people and building strong and effective partnerships with those who share your passion and commitment. Alongside this wherever I have worked we have built strong performance management systems to ensure that outcomes drive the business and strong resource management systems so that every thing we have at our disposal is used to make a difference where it matters... in our business this means getting better outcomes for children and young people... whatever it takes!
Chris

A "perfect storm" is an expression that describes an event where a rare combination of challenges come together to create something simply extra-ordinary...

You could argue that this is what happened nine years ago to create Education Leeds and today's challenges threaten to overwhelm what we have achieved together over the last nine years with huge budget cuts looming, capital funding disappearing and an increasing difficulty attracting and retaining talented colleagues. However if you look at it more creatively these challenges are really opportunities for talented colleagues with the future of public services hingeing on brilliant leadership, social enterprise, powerful communities, responsibilities alongside rights and civic companies enabling local authorities to champion and commission rather than provide services.
Chris

I have been managing change for the last twenty five years and over those years these are the biggest mistakes I've made in managing change -- and the lessons I've learned on the way...

Mistake Number 1 : I didn't understand the critical importance of people.

Lesson learnt: Organizations don't change. People do -- or they don't.

Mistake Number 2: I didn't appreciate that people throughout any organisation have different reactions to change

Lesson learnt: Some people are more "ready for change" We need encourage the early adaptors and champions.

Mistake Number 3: I treated transformational change as an event, rather than a mental, physical and emotional process.

Lesson learnt: Large-scale organizational change usually triggers emotional reactions -- denial, negativity, choice, tentative acceptance, commitment.

Mistake Number 4: I wasn't totally honest with colleagues.

Lesson learnt: Communicate openly and honestly.

Mistake Number 5: I didn't carefully "set the context" for change.

Lesson learnt: Colleagues need to know the vision, goals, and strategy for any new arrangements.

Mistake Number 6: I tried to manage transformational change with the same strategies used for incremental change.

Lesson learnt: Continuous improvement is linear, predictable, logical, and based on a progressive acceleration of past performance. Transformational change is none of these things.

Mistake Number 7: I forget to negotiate the new "agreement" between the boss and his colleagues.

Lesson learnt: A new relationship needs to develop, based on mutual trust and respect.

Mistake Number 8: I used to believe that simple communication engages colleagues.

Lesson learnt: We must learn the importance of behaviour-based communication as a requirement for leading change.

Mistake Number 9: I underestimated the potential of my colleagues.

Lesson learnt: Trust in the innate intelligence, capability, and creativity of your colleagues and people will simply amaze you.

These lessons have helped me build something extra-ordinary at Education Leeds; a unique, award winning company that has transformed education and learning.

Chris

We are entering another difficult period in the story of Education Leeds, where we need to carefully manage another complex and difficult change...

I have been talking to my colleague Dirk Gilleard about how we do it and we agreed that these are the approaches we should use:

1. We need to educate and work with all the colleagues involved.
2. We need to use a "systems" approach to ensure that all aspects are considered when planning and implementing the necessary changes.
3. We need to use a team approach that involves as many stakeholders and partners as possible in the change process.
4. We need to share power to encourage the implementation of the change.
5. We need to make plans, but "hold our plans loosely." Develop plans, but know that they will have to be adapted to change as opportunities arise and needs change.
6. We need to realize that there is a tension between establishing readiness for change and the need to get people implementing new approaches quickly.
7. We need to provide considerable amounts of training and staff development for everyone involved.
8. We need to choose innovative practices that are research-based and "organisation friendly."
9. We need to recognize that change happens through people; understanding colleagues resistance to change and working with it to build consensus and engagement.
10. We need to be prepared for "implementation dip"; things often get worse temporarily before improvement begins to appear.
11. We need to help colleagues develop an "intellectual understanding" of the change process we are engaged in.
12. We need to seek out "enablers" and "champions" who are interested in and supportive of the substantial changes we are making.
13. We need to take the long view; realizing that change takes time and should not be forced to occur too quickly.

I hope this helps.

Chris

“And the pleasure of discovery differs from
other pleasures in this [...] Other desires perish
in their gratification, but the desire of knowledge
never: the eye is not satisfied with seeing nor
the ear filled with hearing. Other desires
become the occasion of pain through dearth of
the material to gratify them, but not the desire
of knowledge: the sum of things to be known is
inexhaustible, and however long we read we
shall never come to the end of our story-book.”

A.E. Housman, 1892

A "perfect storm" is an expression that describes an event where a rare combination of challenges come together to create something simply extra-ordinary...

You could argue that this is what happened nine years ago to create Education Leeds and today we are facing a combination of challenges that threaten to overwhelm what we have achieved together over the last nine years with huge budget cuts looming, capital funding disappearing and an increasing difficulty attracting and retaining talented colleagues. However if you look at it more creatively these challenges are really opportunities for talented colleagues with the future of public services hingeing on brilliant leadership, social enterprise, powerful communities, responsibilities alongside rights and civic companies enabling local authorities to champion and commission rather than provide services.

It is important that we rise to these challenges and continue to focus on the things that really matter... whatever it takes!
Chris

I saw 'Invictus' last night which is based on the book "Playing the Enemy"...

It's a great film starring Morgan Freeman as South African President Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as Rugby Captain Francois Pienaar. It is the story of Nelson Mandela's first years as President of the culturally separated country in the run up to the Rugby World Cup in South Africa in 1995. The poem 'Invictus' is a great reminder to us all about what really matters in life.

"Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul."

William Ernest Henley

A friend sent me this brilliant quote to help steady the nerves...

"A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities
and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties."
Harry Truman

"Ability is what you're capable of doing.

Motivation determines what you do.

Attitude determines how well you do it."

Lou Holtz

My colleague Geoff Roberts sent me this after reading my Interesting Times blog...

"Hi again Chris, One of your posts from The Guardian Public Services Summit 2010 got my mind working – which for a Friday pm is pretty impressive. It led me to think about the difference between change management (which is what tends to get discussed) and change leadership. I don’t doubt that change management is important and that there is a place for standard methodologies such as PRINCE2 – although I suggest that such methodologies are more appropriate for building roads or writing software than the sort of ‘human change’ that we tend to get involved in and which lies at the heart of the challenge. We also know that the difficulty of implementing change varies with each different change. Why might that be – it’s not about the plans or the technologies it’s about the people and people do not respond in programmatic ways that can be ‘managed’, they respond in individual ways depending on their individual Values, drivers, motivations, circumstances, etc. Where change efforts so often fail is in not answering each individual ‘Why?’ and ‘What is in it for me?’ – if there is nothing in it for me then the best anyone can expect is compliance, whereas good answers to Why? And Wiifm? can generate the sort of commitment that makes change much easier.

If I have learned one thing in my many years as a change agent it is Communicate, Communicate, Communicate – and to do most of that by listening, not preaching. We (and to be very frank, "we" includes quite a few Education Leeds people that I come across) need to understand the difference between consultation and involvement as well as appreciating where and when to do each. My typification of the difference is:
Consultation – "We plan to do this, have you any thoughts on the proposal before I make my decision?"
Involvement – "We share a problem, let’s sit down and figure out how to solve it"
The latter takes time and means early stakeholder identification and persistent involvement to craft a mutually satisfactory solution, the former lets the experts sit in their current paradigm and each side blame the other when things go wrong. The former requires rudimentary skills, the latter much more sophisticated interpersonal and group dynamic capabilities. We know that change is more effective and sustained when it is done by the participants rather than being done to them. Don’t know if this is just me ‘soapboxing’ or whether it makes a useful thinkpiece – you judge. Be well, thanks and have fun, Geoff."

"All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost.

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost."

J.R.R. Tolkien

I found this brilliant article on the web...

The Dream Cycle

by Anthony Fernando

The process of transforming your dreams into reality is the same regardless of what your specific goals are. I’d like to share with you The Dream Cycle..

There are six stages in the Dream Cycle and each one of them is very important.
Stage 1: Dream
Every man-made item you see around you began as the spark of an idea in the mind of a single individual. The greatest architectural monuments, the most famous works of art, the most stirring pieces of music, the most profound works of literature – they all began as a thought…an idea…a dream.
We all have flashes of inspiration from time to time, but sadly, many people let these ideas fade away. Successful people however are different. They realise how precious these ideas truly are and they are not afraid to dream BIG dreams.
Stage 2: Plan
Imagine for a moment that you want to travel from your home to the supermarket. You get into your car, drive to the nearest intersection and flip a coin to decide which way to turn. If it’s heads you turn right, if it’s tails you turn left. At every intersection you come to you repeat this process of flipping a coin and choosing a direction. How long do you think it will take you to reach the supermarket using this navigational approach?
Clearly it is unlikely that you will ever reach your destination unless you know how to get there.
Unfortunately this is how many people navigate through life. They make random decisions from day-to-day and hope that somehow they will reach their destination.
In order to make your dreams a reality you must take the time to formulate a plan which will act as your ’street directory’ to guide you from where you are today to where you want to be tomorrow.
Stage 3: Work Hard
Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that success is easy. It isn’t.
True success in any area of life involves focused and consistent hard work. A good way to gauge your chances of achieving success is simply to count the number of hours each week that you are actively working on achieving your goal. If you don’t put in the work – you won’t get the result.
Stage 4: Achieve
The feeling of achievement that comes from working hard and transforming your dream into reality is one of the most satisfying feelings you can ever experience. This is why the Olympic Games are so popular. Elite atheletes are a great example of people who are prepared to put in the hard work necessary to achieve their dreams.
Stage 5: Celebrate
It is very important when you achieve a major goal to take the time to really enjoy and celebrate your achievement. Don’t make the mistake of trying to launch straight into your next goal. Take a break and enjoy your success. Go out with someone you love, do something you enjoy or buy yourself something special. By doing this you will reinforce the positive energy associated with achievement and be ready to move on to your next dream.
Stage 6: Give Back
The final stage of the Dream Cycle is to give something positive back to the Universe. If you’ve achieved a monetary goal, give 10% of your profits to a worthy cause.
This idea of giving back does not only relate to financial goals however. For example, if you’ve just lost 30 pounds and reached your ideal goal weight, share your knowledge and experience with others. Tell them how you achieved your goal and encourage them to pursue their own dreams.

The Inner Circle
You will see that the inner circle of the Dream Cycle contains two items:
(1) Visualise
(2) Enjoy
Visualisation
Visualising your goal in every detail is the best way to clarify your dream. It also helps you to create your plan and keeps you motivated while you work hard to make your dream a reality.
Enjoy
Don’t be afraid to really enjoy your success and achievement. Celebration and giving back to the Universe helps you create a positive mindset which in turn helps you achieve bigger and better dreams.
Action Steps:
This week, review your major goals and see where you are in the Dream Cycle. Ask yourself these questions:
(1) Do I have a clear plan for transforming my dream into reality?
(2) Am I putting in the regular hard work necessary to make my dream a reality?
(3) Am I visualising my dream daily?
Until next time,
Dare To Dream!
Dr Anthony Fernando

"If people are good
only because they fear punishment,
and hope for reward,
then we are a sorry lot indeed."
Albert Einstein

"The true measure of a nation’s standing is how well it attends to its children – their health and safety, their material security, their education and socialization, and their sense of being loved, valued, and included in the families and societies into which they are born"
UNICEF

"Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results."

Andrew Carnegie

We are facing another onslaught from our friends at OFSTED who are also visiting our 'satisfactory schools' and ratcheting up the bar and focusing relentlessly and ruthlessly on data, outcomes and progress...

At times like this I often ask myself what are we trying to achieve together here in Leeds? What is our vision for our children and young people? How do we continue to build brilliant learning, in brilliant learning places to serve brilliant learning communities? What is the trick to releasing the magic and unlocking the potential of each and every child, of each and every colleague and of every family and every community to be their brilliant best? Our culture, our beliefs, attitudes, and values, determines our choices, our decisions, and our effectiveness. We know that beliefs, attitudes and values are the best predictors of individual behaviour and that these things influence our perceptions, our judgements, and our behaviours. Research also indicates that beliefs, attitudes and values are powerful and highly resistant to change. ‘The way we do things round here’ is the culture and it is really important that we regularly check out what it is we all believe should be the beliefs, values and attitudes driving our work and shaping our behaviours.

And back to our schools and OFSTED, we know the key to school improvement. It’s the quality of what goes on in the classrooms and everything points to the fact that teacher quality is the key to success. We need to focus on how we improve teacher quality and the key must be to love the one’s we’ve got. Evidence suggests that big improvements are possible provided we focus vigorously on the things that make a difference. There is also a strong relationship between well-being and child poverty and between well-being and inequality. Research shows that poverty and parenting both matter and that the eradication of child poverty is a great cause which must remain a high priority.

I have worked for over thirty years trying to answer these challenges and those of us who have spent our lives at the front line know the real answers lie where they have always been...

• strong, disciplined, focused and passionate leadership;
• clear, shared vision, values and beliefs;
• talented, energetic, enthusiastic and creative teaching teams;
• empowered, trusted and disciplined colleagues;
• brilliant teaching supported by strong assessment for learning;
• stimulating, exciting and engaging curriculum pathways;
• powerful, stimulating and interesting learning environments;
• high self-esteem and high expectations of everyone;
• strong, dynamic and meaningful coaching relationships;
• high engagement and involvement of young people;
• positive engagement and involvement of parents and carers.

We need to be determined, persistent and focused even if it is hard.… whatever it takes!

Chris

A young colleague introduced me to 'Independent Thinking' today...

'Independent Thinking' is a compny working to bring the best out of young people and those who work with them, focussing on areas including thinking, learning, motivation and creativity. They aim "to inform, inspire and shamelessly entertain, because education is too important to be taken seriously." Their website shows you what they do, why they do it Their written mission which I love is "To enrich people's lives by changing the way they think - and so to change the world".

You can visit their website at http://www.independentthinking.co.uk.
Chris

"Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another."

Nelson Mandela

We are all struggling with change but I found this really helpful article and wanted to share it with you...

Learn to Love Change

By Karen Susman

“History's lesson is that it is precisely the times of wrenching change that humankind makes its most significant advances…that the richest personal fortunes are built, that the most enduring achievements are recorded.“

Marshall Loeb

You can hate change or love change or embrace change or reject change. Change doesn't care. It's happening. Choke back your resistance. Here's how:

1. Adjust your attitude. Reframe the change as positive. Find the potential gain.

2. Pay attention to trends. Spot them first and adjust your plan before you're forced to.

3. Focus on solutions. Don't get stuck in problem mode. Ask yourself, “What actions can I take to manage the change I'm facing?”

4. Be flexible. Have Plan B. The worst idea is having only one idea. Knowing you have several options is great relief.

5. Become comfortable with risk taking. Try a risk a day regimen. Today green eggs and ham. Tomorrow the world.

6. Learn continuously. You'll keep your brain sharp and stay ahead of the curve.

7. If you're experiencing change in one area of your life, reduce changes in other areas of your life. Don't change jobs, mates, houses and locations at the same time. Routines are your friends when you're in the midst of change.

8. Use water logic as opposed to rock logic. Water flows and adapts to its surroundings while retaining its power. Given enough friction, being rock solid can turn you into a sand pile.

9. Nurture support systems. Change is smoothed with a little help from your friends.

10. Know that you will be able to handle the changes in your life.

As philosopher Soren Kirkgaard said, “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”

©Karen Susman.

Karen Susman, Speaker/Author/Coach, works with organizations and individuals that want to maximize their performance and quality of life. Check out her free tips and articles at www.karensusman.com. Karen can be reached at karen@karensusman.com.

This is such brilliant advice in an ever changing landscape where we don't know what tomorrow will bring.

Chris

"If you can't explain it simply,
you don't understand it well enough."
Albert Einstein

"Success is not the key to happiness.
Happiness is the key to success.
If you love what you are doing,
you will be successful."
Albert Schweitzer

"Anyone who has never made a mistake
has never tried anything new."
Albert Einstein

"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."
Albert Einstein

The challenge we all face is about action or is it inaction. We spend too much time in working parties, committees, focus groups, project boards and meetings talking about the things that are wrong and what we need to do to put them right. We create strategies, plans, structures and resources. We inspect, monitor, measure, check and audit.

My challenge is why don't we simply put all this activity into action and do something about underachievement by rolling up our sleeves, targetting vulnerable and hard to reach groups using the things that work like Every Child a Reader. Makes sense to me.
Chris

I attended a brilliant session at the NEEC 2010 in York last week.

Dylan Wiliam from the Institute of Education’s session on ‘Leadership and Learning in a Changing World’ was looking at School Effectiveness and School Improvement at a time when structural change, curriculum change, new models of governance, new technologies and workforce reform are impacting on schools. Over three generations of school effectiveness research from raw results, through demographic solutions to value-added approaches we’ve learnt that an effective school is a school full of effective classrooms managed by highly effective teachers supported by highly trained classroom assistants. Importantly the most effective schools are not those achieving the best 5A*-C including English and Maths scores. Research suggests that it doesn’t really matter which school young people go to because only 7% is down to the school and 93% is down to external factors. When you adjust the data for those external factors there is very little difference between schools, be they public or private sector.

Interestingly as well, the key to school improvement is not the school, not the headteachers, not the class size. Specifically it’s the quality of what goes on in the classrooms and everything points to the fact that teacher quality is the key to success. And importantly subject knowledge and professional qualifications make little difference. Pedagogy is more significant but largely being a brilliant teacher is unexplained.

We need to focus on how we improve teacher quality and the key must be to love the one’s you’ve got. Left to their own devices teachers do improve but slowly because we’ve been doing the wrong kind of professional development. Evidence suggests that big improvements are possible provided we focus vigorously on the things that make a difference; even if they are hard.

To create a climate for improvement we, as leaders, need to be committed to creating effective learning environments, creating a culture of high expectations, providing time, space and support for innovation, supporting risk taking and maintaining the focus on the things that matter. Our colleagues must be committed to continuous improvement and maintaining a focus on the things that make a difference to learning outcomes.

The continuing focus on school improvement and improving outcomes for our young people is a national economic priority. We can improve achievement through improving teacher quality and focusing on formative assessment and the creation of school-based and area-based learning communities.
Chris

I attended an interesting session at the NEEC 2010 in York last week….

Professor Jonathan Bradshaw’s session on ‘Understanding Child Poverty and Child well-being’ highlighted the international research which consistently put us at or towards the bottom of the international league table. The session attempted to identify why we are doing so poorly.

It’s important to drill down into these figures. In some areas we are performing well:

- accidental deaths;
- educational attainment;
- housing conditions; and
- peer relationships.

But in some areas we are performing badly:

- subjective well-being;
- income poverty;
- risky behaviour; and
- NEET

There is a strong relationship between well-being and child poverty and between well-being and inequality. Children are happier at school and their friendships have significantly improved. Spending on vulnerable families is high but improved outcomes have not been seen YET! Interestingly the research suggests that subjective well-being; how young people feel about their well-being is the essence of well-being. Between 1994 and 2007 there have been little variation in happiness, self-esteem and feeling troubled. Importantly most children report that they are happy. Research shows that poverty and parenting both matter and that the eradication of child poverty is a great cause which must remain a high priority.
Chris

"Intelligent accountability preserves and enhances trust, involves participants in the process, encourages deep, worthwhile responses and recognises and attempts to compensate for the severe limitations of our ability to capture educational quality in performance indicators. "

Sad then that there is so little intelligent accountability around.
Chris

"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing."

John Maxwell

People constantly tell us that things are impossible. They tell me that you can't get every child to read by the time they are eight. That you can't get every young person the equivalent of 5 good GCSEs by the time they are sixteen. That every school in Leeds can't be a great school. That you can't create great teams with the current people. However, we all know that success doesn't come in can'ts it comes in cans. We simply need to change the culture and get people to believe; to believe in themselves and to believe in our children and young people and our colleagues. The next person who tells you it's impossible with these children, these young people, these families or these colleagues, tell them straight back that if you believe anything is possible and that achieving the impossible is nothing!

Chris

A friend sent me this quote after Christmas...

"Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence."

Albert Einstein