AND REMEMBER TO...

GOING TO GREAT!

"Almost every country has undertaken some school system reform during the past two decades, but very few have succeeded in improving their systems from poor to fair to good to great to excellent." 

Mona Mourshed, Chinezi Chijioke and Michael Barber

RSA: EVERYONE STARTS WITH AN 'A'!

The RSA has produced a report which everyone, who cares about getting the best results for all young people, should read. The report "Everone Starts with an 'A'" looks at applying behavioural insights to narrow the achievement gap in education.

A SAD, SAD DAY

What can you say when dedicated, talented and committed colleague is killed by one of her students in her own classroom.

 Only that she will never be forgotten!

WHATEVER YOU DO, BE POSITIVE!

We all want success in our lives; even if some of us think it will come through winning the lottery or finding our way onto the X-Factor!

PRIMARY SCHOOL PLACES AND THE MYTH OF SCHOOL CHOICE!

I was on Radio Leeds this morning talking about the allocation of primary school places. They highlighted the problems faced by a family in Wakefield who have been allocated their third choice of school place nearly two miles away when there is a primary school under half a mile away. Parents and carers in Wakefield are lucky since over 92% of them get their first preference and in Leeds 85% get their first preference. This a  a fantastic achievement if you consider the fact that there are 419 extra children this year in Leeds wanting a school place... that is the equivalent of needing 14 additional one form entry primary schools!

AND FINALLY THIS SUNDAY!

AND ALSO REMEMBER...

REMEMBER THIS SUNDAY!

REMEMBER THE THINGS THAT MATTER!

In a world filled with negativity and criticism, we must continue to work together and put the things that matter first. We must work together to ensure that not only our school is a successful, thriving, learning community but every school has the support, encouragement and the toolkit to become a brilliant school and every child has the teaching, coaching and opportunity to become a brilliant learner!

WE NEED GREAT SCHOOLS IN EVERY COMMUNITY!

Another round of school allocations where parents and carers are unhappy with the school they have been given for their child, reminds us that we need develop a coherent systemic approach to help every school become a great school. And importantly, we need to develop learning leadership. beautiful systems and intelligent accountability!

CRAZY CELEBRITY CULTURE!

Reading through the papers, and watching the news this morning, I am appalled to be reminded that we live in a culture of celebrity. A culture where people with little or no expertise and experience are the role models for our children, and pontificate on things they know little or nothing at all about.

AND REMEMBER...

IF THE GOING GETS TOUGH, PHONE A FRIEND!

We all need to share, network and learn. 

I am still learning and I am always happy to help.

So remember, if you need help, you can always phone this friend!

COACHING AND TEACHING MATTERS!

I have been doing some thinking, and some coaching and teaching over Easter, wonderful getting back to some good old A-Level Physics! And looking back the scary thing isn’t what we have achieved, but the potential we have to achieve so much more if only we can release the magic in our schools, in our colleagues and in our children and young people.

THINK TEAM!

Creating, developing and sustaining learning leadership that nurtures, supports and develops teamwork, collaboration and shared practice is one of the greatest challenges we face in this new and increasingly complex learning landscape...

Wherever you look we need to develop teamwork...

REMEMBER THIS EASTER...

"Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So love the people who treat you right, forget about the ones who don’t and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said that it’d be easy, they just promised it would be worth it." Unknown

HAPPY EASTER!

This Easter send flowers to those you love and care about!

REMEMBER...

AND BE HAPPY!

STAY IN TOUCH!

This Good Friday, we should all remember that when it comes down to what really matters, it's faith, family and friends that make life worth living!

YEWLANDS TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE SUCCESS!

Great to see this picture of the successful team from Yewlands Technology College, with two of their brilliant Year 11 Cutlers Made in Sheffield Ambassadors, who won the schools competition at this years 'Get Up To Speed' event.

Also good to see a very proud Andrew Sowerby...

 Andrew has worked so hard with these young people and supported them so well.

Brilliant stuff!!

THIS EASTER, REMEMBER THAT KINDNESS MATTERS!

Just think what a better world this would be,

 if we all did one of these things everyday!

SOME REMINDERS FROM 'ACTION FOR HAPPINESS'!

GREAT SCHOOLS FOR EVERYONE!

I have been arguing for a very long time that we must create great schools at the heart of every community, so that everyone can have what people have told me is simply a dream; great outcomes for every child and young person...

I know a lot of people tell me that it is impossible but I really believe that it is possible to create a GREAT SCHOOL FOR EVERYONE! But not, as those who are passionate about Academies or Free Schools would have us believe, through takeovers and the slow demise of unpopular and unloved schools.

DWECK'S MINDSET MATTERS!

There is a great difference between failing to achieve a result and the conclusion you draw about yourself. In Carol Dweck's book 'Mindset' she explains that those who stay down after a setback make a judgment that they have failed, not just that their attempt failed. Moreover, people with a 'fixed mindset' often generalize from their “failures” to conclusions such as, “I am a loser,” and “I will probably always fail. Therefore, they assume, there is no point in getting up and working at problems and issues. So they quit, they give up and they seek a more comfortable option such as eating, drinking, shopping whatever to avoid facing what they consider to be their personal failure.

TEACHING MATTERS!

TEN RULES!

THINK POSITIVE THIS SATURDAY MORNING!

I have been fortunate again to spend another term staying in touch with great friends, and working with brilliant colleagues in Sheffield, York and Leeds, and despite the challenges, the mistakes and the hiccoughs we need to remember that we have a choice. We can get depressed about all the things that are wrong with world, the things we don'ts have and  he negative and bullying culture we struggle with, or we can be positive about what we have; our friends, our family, our relationships and our faith in whatever we choose to believe in. Personally, I choose to see the good stuff...

CUTLERS EDUCATION COMMITTEE

I was in Sheffield this morning meeting with the Cutlers' Education Committee which is guiding the Cutlers' Made in Sheffield scheme. 

ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT THE BEST WAY TO PREDICT THE FUTURE IS TO INVENT IT FOR YOURSELF!

There have been over 1600 entries and over 150,000 visitors to the 'Releasing the Magic' Blog, since I left Education Leeds in December 2010, and, just over the last week, it has been visited by over 1000 colleagues from across the world and nearly half of them in the United States...

DO WHAT YOU LOVE AND LOVE WHAT YOU DO!

I met a group of colleagues working in the care sector yesterday and their energy, enthusiasm and passion made me remember that, whatever you do you and wherever you work you should do it because you are passionate about it. Why else would anyone waste their time? Life should be a passionate enterprise built on relationships and the interaction between human beings.

MADE IN SHEFFIELD!

This week we recognised and celebrated the Cutlers' "Made in Sheffield" Ambassadors and awarded 107 young people from Bradfield, Firth Park, Forge Valley, Meadowhead, Stocksbridge and Yewlands with the first Cutlers' Made in Sheffield passports. These were the first group of young people who have experienced this radically different and unique programme developed in Sheffield by schools and businesses working together.

THE FIRST CUTLERS AMBASSADORS GRADUATE!

I attended the first graduation ceremony for the Cutlers 'Made in Sheffield' Ambassadors yesterday evening!. In front of a packed and enthusiastic audience, of parents, carers, employers and students at the Cutlers Hall, the ambassadors received their passports from the current Master Cutler.

CARE MATTERS... BUT WHO CARES!

I had a really good meeting this morning with some colleagues in Sheffield who are passionate advocates of the care sector, which is another huge employer in the city. The care sector is growing and, in Sheffield like everywhere else, it offers a range of rewarding careers, with many different job roles, and lots of opportunities for progression. The sector currently employs 1.5 million people in England, and by 2025, it is estimated that another 1 million workers will be needed to meet the growing demands for care. 

LAST CHANCE TO VOTE FOR ME!

My blog has been nominated for best UK edublog, and they're accepting votes until this Wednesday.

THE VOTE IS OPEN TO ANYONE, 

ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD 

So if you wanted to vote for the 'Releasing the Magic' Blog, here's all you have to do:
1. Send an email to: voting@ukedchat.com
2. Enter subject as 'Best UK edublog'
3. Copy this text: Please accept my vote for 'Releasing the Magic' for best UK EduBlog
4. Send!

THANK YOU

ACHIEVING EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE!

At the end of yet another term I am struggling to balance the negative, destructive and short sighted approaches and outpourings from the DfE and OFSTED, with the outstanding things I see every week in ordinary schools where ordinary teachers working with ordinary young people, are achieving extraordinary outcomes.

THINK POSITIVE!

BE POSITIVE AND OPTIMISTIC AND YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD!

It has been another interesting term and spending it with some great colleagues makes you realise how much there is that is extraordinary about education, schools and learning...

HAPPY SUNDAY!

ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!

Throughout my career, people have told me that things are impossible and that you can't do things because of the culture, the community, the poverty, the families or the people themselves.

FANTASTIC NEWS: WILLIAM BOOTH PRIMARY AND NURSERY SCHOOL IS A GOOD SCHOOL!

I was really delighted to hear, from colleagues at William Booth Primary School in Nottingham where I was part of the IEB, that OFSTED have finally decided that this is a good school! It is a fantastic achievement for the whole team who have worked so incredibly hard to change almost every aspect of their practice and provision and to release the magic in some wonderful young people. 

It was great to read such a positive OFSTED inspection report.

PLEASE VOTE FOR MY BLOG!

UK Edchat is looking for the favourite educational blog.

They have been overwhelmed by the response during the nomination process.

THIS WEEKEND AND THIS EASTER!

START EARLY!

As with most things in life, the earlier we start to learn the easier it is to succeed.

SKILLS REALLY MATTER!

"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."

How do we equip our young people with what they will need to thrive and succeed in a world of work where the landscape is changing so rapidly that many if not most of the jobs they will be doing are new or haven't been invented yet!

THE BIG CHALLENGE 2014!

I was at The BIG Challenge Awards 2014 this evening at the Holiday Inn Royal Victoria in Sheffield hosted by David Grey MBE, Group Managing Director of OSL Group Holdings Ltd.

SHEFFIELD CITY-WIDE LEARNING BODY!

I was at the Sheffield City-wide Learning Body this afternoon to talk about the development of the Cutlers' Made in Sheffield scheme.

GOOD NEWS! PROBLEM SOLVING SUCCESS!

It is great to hear that England's teenagers are "significantly above average" in problem-solving, according to Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development's latest results. 

CULTURE MATTERS!

It has taken me a lifetime, working with some extraordinary colleagues and organisations, to fully understand that the key to success for any of us lies in the culture we establish.

WELL-BEING IN THE WORKPLACE!

NEF’s Centre for Well-being and NEF Consulting have published a new report outlining what the evidence shows about well-being in the workplace.

EAT YOUR VEGETABLES!

We should now be eating at least seven portions of fruit and vegetables every day to live longer and get real health benefits.

REMEMBER!

SING!

I have always said that singing and music makes you cleverer, happier and healthier and when you watch choirs in schools, at concerts or on the TV you see the power of singing. Professor Graham Welch, Chair of Music Education at the Institute of Education, University of London, has studied developmental and medical aspects of singing for 30 years: "The health benefits of singing are both physical and psychological. Singing has physical benefits because it is an aerobic activity that increases oxygenation in the blood stream and exercises major muscle groups in the upper body, even when sitting.Singing has psychological benefits because of its normally positive effect in reducing stress levels through the action of the endocrine system which is linked to our sense of emotional well-being. Psychological benefits are also evident when people sing together as well as alone because of the increased sense of community, belonging and shared endeavour."