STRATEGY MATTERS... PASS IT ON!

We are moving from the old hierarchical, command and control school improvement structure rooted in the local authority which I lived with for about twenty years, into an emerging, chaotic and fragmented, landscape of academies, trusts, chains, federations and partnerships.

HAPPY SUNDAY... PASS IT ON!

This Sunday, have a great day and don't let things get you down.

The things that matter still matter... faith, friends and family!

CONFIDENCE MATTERS... PASS IT ON!

I have been a learner all my life and the older I get the more I realise that while knowledge and facts are important, it's the skills and ability to use what you know that really matters.

PETER DRUCKER

In this crazy over-managed and under-led world, these Peter Drucker quotes constantly remind me what we need to do:

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESS... PASS IT ON!

Successful people I know have the following in common:

1. They smile a lot;

2. They have a positive outlook:

3. They rarely complain:

4. They take resonsibility:

5. They are confident;

6. They are persistent;

7. They are optimistic;

8. They are focused;

9. They never stop learning;

10. They help other people;

11. They know that we learn from our mistakes;

12. They always go the extra mile;

13. They never give up!

EVERYONE IS A GENIUS... PASS IT ON!

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT CYCLE!

THE JOURNEY TO OUTSTANDING... PASS IT ON!

While educationalists continue to argue about facts, knowledge, skills and what is really important, there is some common ground.

CULTURAL AMBASSADORS...ANOTHER BRILLIANT INITIATIVE!

I was at Firth Park Academy in Sheffield again this evening to attend a session with the ambassadors, their parents and carers and other stakeholders and partners working in the cultural sector.

DOERS, NOT CRITICS COUNT.... PASS IT ON!

“You can program yourself to be positive. Being positive is a discipline … 
and the more adversity you face, the more positive you have to be. 
Being positive helps build confidence and self-esteem”

Rick Pitino, University of Louisville Head Basketball Coach

Whatever the critics and the sceptics say education and learning has been transformed over the last 15 years and our successes are everywhere; not just the GCSE/Level 2/Key Stage results but the attendance and exclusion figures, the latest OFSTED analysis, work on healthy schools, work on developing the arts and music, work developing PE and school sport, work on tackling racism, work on inclusion and equity and much, much more. So many colleagues in so many schools have done a simply brilliant job... and always remember when it comes to judging our successes and failures "It is not the critic who counts...

HOW GOOD ARE WE... PASS IT ON!

THIS SATURDAY, RELAX, UNWIND BUT DON'T QUIT... PASS IT ON!

I know things have been tough for many colleagues and friends recently; a new school year, new challenges and lots of hard work. So this Saturday, if you don't know this poem it is worth a read as we all try to stay positive and manage the challenges life throws at us.

WHAT REALLY MATTERS... PASS IT ON!

This great story reminds us all about the things that really matter...

LET'S ACHIEVE THE IMPOSSIBLE... PASS IT ON!

We are challenged all the time to do better, and to do it faster and more efficiently and more effectively... challenged to do what many people would say was impossible....

WHAT MATTERS... PASS IT ON!

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." W. B. Yeats

COACHING, PRACTICE AND HARD WORK MATTER... PASS IT ON!

Like everyone who is passionate about educational success, I am constantly looking for the keys to success and how we can apply them to the education and learning landscape to ensure that all our children and young people achieve their goals and reach their potential.

LEADERSHIP, TEACHING AND TEAMWORK MATTER... PASS IT ON!

I have visited some great schools over the last few years and each visit makes me realise that leadership, teaching and teamwork are what matters.

HAPPY SUNNY SUNDAY... PASS IT ON!

BE HAPPY... PASS IT ON!

"Wisdom, compassion, and courage are the three universally recognized moral qualities of men."

Confucius

I was at meetings this week in Stafford and again being with a group of extraordinary people made me realise that we all want to be outstanding and we all want success in our lives. We want success at home, at work, at school and in our relationships...

FAITH, FAMILY AND FRIENDS MATTER... PASS IT ON!

These last few weeks have reminded me that when it comes down to it, what really matters is faith, family and friends, which make life worth living! Thanks to all those friends who have shown that they care.

LEADERS AND MANAGERS MATTER... PASS IT ON!

In so many crucial aspects from politics to banking and from the NHS to education we face a leadership crisis, and Sir Michael Wilshaw has been stressing the importance of great leadership driving great teaching and learning.

LET'S BUILD ON WHAT WORKS... PASS IT ON!

Everyone I talk to about the challenges we face recognises that to achieve world-class outcomes we need a new and different approach to education and learning. This isn't going to be easy but always remember that...

CAMPAIGN FOR WHAT WORKS... PASS IT ON!

I have spent the last forty years in this crazy profession searching for the extraordinary; looking for what works and trying to understand why some things don't work!

 

I have spent a huge amount of time in schools working with talented colleagues, coaching and mentoring, observing lessons, listening to students, giving feedback, writing reports and reflecting on what I have seen.

SHARE, NETWORK AND LEARN... PASS IT ON!

We all need to share, network and learn. 

I am still currently learning in Sheffield and Staffordshire but I am always happy to share. Alway happy to network. Always happy to help! You can contact me at chris@brilliant-learning.co.uk

DON'T WAKE UP IN THE MORNING WITH REGRETS... PASS IT ON!

"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

I have spent the Summer reflecting on what I have learned over the years and reading about the things that work! Over the last forty years I have learnt so much from so many talented people and everything I have read convinces me that the answers to all the problems we face lie in developing learning communities built on deep research, coaching, learning leadership, beautiful systems, intelligent accountability and the importance of discipline and character.

WELCOME BACK TO ANOTHER NEW YEAR

I am sorry that the blog has stayed silent for such a long time but it has been an interesting and very busy Summer.... and a gloriously sunny one. However, the football is back, another school year has started and Autumn has now rolled in. The important thing, come what may, is to stay positive and remember the things that matter... faith, friends and family!

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON... PASS IT ON!

REMEMBER...
"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