"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

When I attended my first 'Investment in Excellence' session I discovered that there is a special part of the brain called the reticular activating system that filters out the noise, the rubbish and the irrelevant in the world around you to allow you to focus on what you are looking for...

The world around us is full of success and failure, inspiration and boredom, happiness and sadness, opportunities and problems. So if you’re looking for success, inspiration, happiness and opportunities, you will find them. Unfortunately it also means that if you are looking for failure, boredom, sadness and problems, you will find them too. The truth is that what you experience in life depends on what you are looking for!

So how do I cope with all this? Well I try to start each day positively and optimistically. However hard it is, I make a conscious decision everyday to filter out the negatives and the pessimistic influences in my life and I refuse to waste my precious time with people who are negative, boring and destructive.

I constantly search for successes, inspiration, happiness and opportunities and usually it delivers brilliant results. Why don't you try it?

Chris

"Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful,
And since we've no place to go,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"

A friend sent me this message over Christmas...

"live with intention.
walk to the edge.
listen hard.
practice wellness.
play with abandon.
laugh.
choose with no regret.
continue to learn.
appreciate your friends.
do what you love.
live as if this is all there is."
Mary Anne Radmacher

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Another New Year...

I hope that everyone who reads the blog has a happy, healthy, safe and successful 2010 and that it brings you and those you love and care about, peace fulfillment and all the things you really, really want. It is certainly going to be an interesting year!
Chris

'Life is Good'

I received a wonderful present from the special people in my life...

It was a plaque with the main message 'Life is Good' and listed some themes which I wanted to share with the other people in my life:

• Be kind;
• Be true;
• Keep the faith;
• Be a friend;
• Sing and dance;
• Be in love;
• Treasure family;
• Cherish laughter.

The world gets more complicated all the time but I think that just about captures what really matters as we approach another New Year.
Best wishes to everyone for 2010. Stick with these messages and you will be OK.
Chris

"There is a wonderful mythical law of nature that the three things we crave most in life happiness, freedom and peace of mind - are always attained by giving them to someone else."

Peyton Conway March

Tomorrow is my last day now until Monday 4th January so the blog will go quiet for a few days while I unwind, relax, recharge and get ready for yet another interesting and challenging 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. I hope that this Christmas brings you and those you love and care for, happiness, freedom and peace. See you in 2010!
Take care.
Chris

"Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself."

Og Mandino

It's the Climb!

"There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I'm not breaking

I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most."

2009 has been certainly been interesting and challenging.
What will 2010 bring?
Chris

We all know that having bought the banks the next few years are going to be tough and that we will need to work smarter and more effectively and carefully watch all our resources to eliminate waste and drive efficiencies wherever we can...

However hard it gets you must remember that talent will out and that you have skills and abilities that are in demand and in short supply. Our culture and values are rare in the public sector and the focus on creativity, innovation, trust and equality rarer still.

The OFSTED Inspection Report on Safeguarding and Looked After Children's Services is published on 7 January and the Review of Children's Services will drive change as the Council appoints its new Director of Children's Services. So change is going to be constantly with us as usual and our job will be to stay focused on the things that matter: ensuring that young people in Leeds are happy, healthy, safe and increasingly successful... whatever it takes!

We live in interesting times is a Chinese curse but I am even more certain now that the future is simply what you make it. So, make it brilliant one. Have a great Christmas; one that brings you and those you love… delight and simplicity, foolishness and fantasy, and noise, angels, miracles, wonder, innocence and magic.
Chris

You are what you eat, so be careful...

These are my top five foods:

• coffee;
• chocolate;
• blueberries;
• green tea;
• salmon.

You may have seen the front page of the Yorkshire Post today or looked at the DSCF website where it details the intervention the DCSF are making here in Leeds and the threat of more to come if the OFSTED inspection result highlights more concerns...

We all need to stay positive, optimistic, calm and focussed during what are undoubtedly interesting times - travelling through very dangerous shark-infested waters, surrounded by crocodile-infested swamps. We have been inspected, scrutinised, examined, and reviewed…. and they have gone and we’re still here doing whatever it takes to transform outcomes for the children and young people in Leeds. The DCSF confirmed yesterday the announcement of an Improvement Board for Leeds children’s services with Bill McCarthy as the independent chair. Tomorrow we have the publication of the annual rating of children’s services which says that Leeds children's services is performing poorly; the worst category. However, the report goes on to say that the majority of services here in Leeds are good or better.

We don’t yet know the outcome of the council’s review of children’s services and the announced inspection result won’t be published until January. What we do know is that here at Education Leeds we are surrounded by talented, passionate and committed colleagues who come to work every day believing that they can make a difference and we have the evidence that we are. We know that inspections and reviews will come and go, but deep and long-lasting change and progress is achieved through the everyday actions of the talented, brilliant, gorgeous and wonderful colleagues in our teams and in our schools. We know that we have already achieved remarkable things together and that no matter what happens over the next few weeks we will still be passionate about Leeds; still be creative and imaginative; and still look for ways to achieve better outcomes for all our children and young people and their families.

Yes, these are interesting times; yes these are difficult and challenging times and I am deeply grateful to you for your continued support. It is more important than ever that we continue to think and act team and look after each other. As always, I’m here if you need to talk.
Keep the faith.
Chris

The Qualities of Good Leadership

The Institute of Leadership and Management in partnership with Management Today magazine commissioned a report to assess the state of trust in organisations...

This really interesting piece of research focused on six dimensions by which the trustworthiness of leaders and managers is measured: ability, understanding, fairness, openness, integrity and consistency. These dimensions, weighted by the importance respondents applied to them, were then examined against a number of factors, ranging from the size of the organisation and its industry sector to the age and gender of manager and employee, plus the length of their service and relationship with leaders and managers.

Confidence in the boss' ability to do their job is the most important factor in breeding trust among the workforce. Almost as important is the ability to demonstrate a strong sense of personal integrity. The other factors were seen as being far less important than ability and integrity. The drivers of trust in line managers are more diverse. Once again, ability is top of the list of characteristics, but integrity is marginally outweighed in importance by line managers’ understanding of the needs and abilities of others, and matched by fairness in the way that they treat them.

The larger the organisation, the less trust employees are likely to show in its leadership. The most trusted bosses are those at the helm of organisations employing up to 10 people. This trust in CEOs falls off consistently as the organisation grows and reaches its lowest in organisations that employ more than 1,000 people. Overall trust in line managers is also highest in the smallest companies but falls to its lowest point in medium-sized enterprises. It then recovers marginally in the bigger organisations, which possibly indicates better manager training in larger concerns.

The longer bosses and line managers have been in post the more trust employees have in them. Conversely, the longer an employee has been with the organisation the less they trust their management team. This apparent contradiction can be explained by the effect of the length of relationship between manager and managed. Trust is at its highest between a new employee and long-serving managers, and at its lowest when a long-serving employee is working under a new leader.

Age and gender have less effect on trust than might be expected. The research reveals a small dip in trust for middle-aged leaders and managers and a general trend for employees to show greater trust in bosses who are of the same sex and similar age as themselves. Women are generally more trusted and trusting than men. But the research found that, although women tend to start employment with more trust in their managers than new male recruits, their trust decreases more sharply, ultimately falling below the levels of men.

Trust in public sector bosses compares poorly to many bosses in the private sector, although this can partly be explained by the fact that many public sector organisations are large. Trust is low in large organisations that feature a high percentage of long-serving employees and a high turnover of bosses and line managers.

Conclusions

Clear patterns and trends emerge from the research. Establishing trust takes time and is improved when the relationship between leader and follower is close. This finding has important implications for new bosses of very large organisations, many of which are in the public sector and feature long-serving employees. The bosses of these organisations have the steepest hill to climb to establish trust, and they will not be able to reach the summit without demonstrating a strong sense of personal integrity. If they can’t show the qualities of principle and honesty, and that they are in it for the long haul, not just as a lucrative or advantageous career move, they will not be trusted.