Characteristics of Great People!

I met some of my brilliant colleagues at the start and end of the day yesterday and spending time with them reminded me that there are so many great colleagues in Leeds; in the schools and in Education Leeds...

What are the characteristics that make these colleagues so special?

Help me!

I want the blog to reach more people so that we can continue to build a co-operative and collaborative learning network where we can share what works and try to understand why...

We need to create a club where those of us who are passionate about learning, work together to, create extraordinary learning. We need to share our incredible stories...

Temple Newsam House

Yesterday afternoon, Sue Davies and I moved on to visit Temple Newsam House...

Temple Newsam House is one of the great country houses of England set within grand and beautiful parkland with one of the largest working rare breeds farms in Europe.

Kirkstall Abbey

Sue Davies and I also visited Kirkstall Abbey with Sam Flavin. The Abbey is one of Britain's best preserved abbeys and was founded in 1152 by a party of Cistercian monks from Fountains Abbey...

Abbey House Museum

Abbey House is another of the brilliant learning places I am working with...

I visited the house yesterday with Sue Davies, Head of Learning and Audience Development for the Museums and Galleries Service in Leeds.

There is no Failure, just Feedback!

When we are dealing with the challenges we currently face and when the going gets tough we need to stay positive and stay focused on the things that matter, in our lives, our work, and in our relationships...

We all face a difficult, changing and potentially chaotic future where individuals, families, children, organizations, and businesses all face accelerating change, massive challenges and increasing problems.

You Can Do Anything You Want!

We can do anything, well almost anything, if we are prepared to work at it...

After ten years here in Leeds, five years in York, six years in North Yorkshire and five years in Wolverhampton I am fed up with people telling me it can't be done

We are what we eat!

The latest predictions are that 50 per cent of our children will be overweight or obese adults by 2030...

I was at the gym today and the fitness fanatics tell me that, other than stopping smoking, there is nothing you can do for yourself that is better than exercise! However the evidence I have read suggests

The Choice is Yours!

Over the last ten years I hav spent time with so many exceptional people...

It's actually encouraging that the potential to be exceptional exists within everyone of us and experience has taught me that there are no exceptions.

Surviving the Storm!

There is a growing body of evidence that as we face this perfect storm, and where nothing seems to provide comfort and reassurance about the future, colleagues are becoming increasingly disillusioned and frustrated...

However, it may be reassuring to know that we are not alone...

The Leeds Children's University

"There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in."
Graham Greene 'The Power and the Glory'

The Leeds Children's University is a fantastic initiative which will connect with and build on the brilliant work we have done with Study Support, Playing for Success and the Breeze initiative here in Leeds...

Roel Rohner

I was reading Roel Rohner's 'Dalton Page' blog this afternoon...

It's great to catch up with the work of Dalton International and the Dalton method which is about personalisation, coaching and student choice.

"The world is changing rapidly but our education system is not keeping pace."

I watched 'We Are The People We've Been Waiting For' again and everyone who is passionate about learning should watch this film...

The film is an independent documentary, inspired and guided by Lord Puttnam and Sir Michael Barber, which explores the education system in the UK. The film follows five young people and asks whether our current system provides young people with the opportunity to develop their talents and abilities.