Brownhill Primary School!

I visited Brownhill Primary School in Leeds this morning to see Georgina Winterburn, the headteacher, who is obviously doing a brilliant job! 

I love schools like Brownhill Primary School and walking around the school with Georgina it was great to experience the purposeful, calm, positive and caring atmosphere where powerful learning is clearly taking place and the children are making real progress. The school is a bright, stimulating and very focused learning place and the hall is full of stars and quotes which reminded me so much of Education Leeds!


It was interesting to know that Brownhill Primary School is one of the primary schools in Leeds being targeted by the DfE to become an academy because it's results over the last five years have remained stubbornly below the Government's floor targets. The school has also been visited by our friends from OFSTED as a reminder of the need for improvement and change! The real danger we face is that we are being distracted by a flawed, negative and destructive approach to accountability which suggests that structures are what really matter and will secure better outcomes. That isn't true and we all know what really matters is leadership, coaching, practice, relationships, high expectations, high self-esteem, belief, quality teaching and learning, persistence and hard work focused on building BRILLIANT LEARNING IN BRILLIANT LEARNING PLACES! Like so many other schools on the DfE list, Brownhill Primary School doesn't need structural change, it simply needs to maintain, nurture and develop passionate leadership, beautiful systems and intelligent accountability. And most importantly these schools need people like Georgina and her colleagues who believe that these wonderful children can achieve and can succeed, and are prepared to roll up their sleeves and make it happen!

Chris