ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT ALL CLOUDS ARE NOT RAIN CLOUDS!

2015 has been a funny old year! My work in Sheffield has been a wonderful way to keep in touch with young people, colleagues and what really matters... what goes on in schools and classrooms!

 Of course, the rainclouds have continued to gather and the pressures facing colleagues haven't changed since I left Leeds, which is amazingly five years ago. The focus on children's services, constant change and OFSTED have created a culture which isn't constructive or helpful in terms of creating great classrooms where great teaching and learning can take place. More and more, at the end of last term I saw stressed and tired colleagues who had lost that sparkle which set them out as great teachers and set their classrooms out as great places to learn. Perhaps the Christmas holidays will have helped colleagues recharge their batteries and recognise that what matters isn't OFSTED or the DfE but critically how we blend skills, knowledge and understanding to create great teaching and learning.