FORGET SATISFACTORY: Extraordinary, Outstanding and Brilliant… whatever it takes!

"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, and my visits to schools in Nottingham, Sheffield, Lincoln and Leeds have once again showed me the outstanding practice, the incredible young people, and the inspirational colleagues that exist in this country. Change is happening wherever we look at a frightening pace, and the learning landscape we currently know, love and understand is 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 strong local engagement and powerful and committed governance. We need to develop project-based learning, 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 need master coaching, deep practice and ignition to drive practice and provision!

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! 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 help our children and our colleagues be extraordinary, be outstanding and be brilliant… whatever it takes!

Chris