WHAT MATTERS?

“Because knowledge is available on every internet-connected device, what you know matters far less than what you can do with what you know. The capacity to innovate — the ability to solve problems creatively or bring new possibilities to life — and skills like critical thinking, communication and collaboration are far more important than academic knowledge."
Professor Tony Wagner (Expert In Residence at Harvard University’s new Innovation Lab)

YOUNG PEOPLE WILL CHANGE THE WORLD!

Tony Wagner has captured some really important messages in his book “Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World”. I read this brilliant piece by Thomas L. Friedman again which I first saw in the New York Times. I have highlighted and underlined some sections which confirm the importance of the work we are doing with the Cutlers' "Made in Sheffield" approach which is about to be launched into its next exciting phase.

AND ANOTHER KEY IS... RESPONSIBILITY!

I always think it's interesting that so many people think that well-being is first and foremost a health issue to be dealt with by health professionals! Having spent so much of my time lately in hospitals it is clear that we all need to take responsibility for our own well being. Reading the research it is clear that there are five things we can all do to enhance our own well-being... so take responsibility and connect with these five ways to improve your well-being.

AND ANOTHER KEY IS... TEAMWORK!

"Team work is the ability to work together with others towards a common vision. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results."

AND ANOTHER KEY IS... RESILIENCE!

I have been struggling with family illness and the challenges elderly care brings to us all and Martin Seligman, Carol Dweck and Alison Duckworth all stress that resilience is a key aspect of successfully managing the challenges life throws at us.

THE CUTLERS' 'MADE IN SHEFFIELD' ARTS, CULTURE AND SPORTS PARTNERS MEET!

Yesterday, I met with the colleagues from the partners and schools who are bringing the Arts, Culture and Sports sectors alive for some impressive young people at Firth Park Academy, Stocksbridge High School and Westfield School.

THE TEAM MEET UP AGAIN!

I was in Leeds again yesterday and it was really great to have Christmas lunch at Browns with some old friends and colleagues who, after five years, I still miss.

AND THE KEY IS... LEADERSHIP!

Research clearly shows that leadership matters...

FEEDBACK MATTERS!

The Sutton Trust research sees effective feedback as the single most important part of any organisational improvement toolkit.

CREATING THE MAGIC AND SPARKLE!

It's Sunday and the end of term is rushing at us now, and with four weeks still  to go, Christmas is being  celebrated everywhere... every high street and every shop has become full of magic and sparkle! 

BUILDING BRILLIANT LEARNING PLACES!

People constantly tell me how hard it is to create brilliant learning places but it's appears to be really easy when it comes to Christmas. What need to...

Be GREAT learners… by constantly questioning and asking why.

Be GREAT performers… by being confident and energetic.

Be GREAT storytellers… by bringing strategies and policies alive.

Accept responsibility… for decisions and outcomes and focus on what really matters!

AND above all be passionate about what you do.

THESE ARE THE KEY SKILLS YOUNG PEOPLE NEED TO THRIVE AND SUCCEED!

These are the key skills businesses and educators have identified as the keys to success and should be at the heart of the offer we make our young people.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE NHS!

What is wrong with the NHS? 

THINK CAREFULLY ABOUT WHO IS IN YOUR TEAM!

CUTLERS' AMBASSADORS VISIT SHEFFIELD HALLAM UNIVERSITY!

I was at Sheffield Hallam University yesterday afternoon with the Y11 engineering ambassadors from Bradfield School, Firth Park Academy, Stocksbridge High School and Westfield School. 

GREAT SCHOOLS USING THE CUTLERS' 'MADE IN SHEFFIELD' PROGRAMME AND MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

I was in Sheffield again yesterday with colleagues from the Cutlers' "Made in Sheffield" engineering schools who have worked with us over the last three years to develop this radically different and unique programme. A programme which helps young people develop core and work skills and character and understand what can be achieved with persistence, determination and hard work.

RELEASE THE MAGIC... LIGHT YOUR OWN FIRE!

I bumped into an old colleague in a service station cafe recently and she reminded me that we simply need to stop waiting for someone else...

IT'S A WHOLE NEW WORLD!

We need to build a new, rewarding and engaging curriculum for our young people because we are preparing them for a world that is changing fast. We are preparing them for jobs that don't yet exist, using technologies that haven't been invented yet. We need them to solve the problems facing us with climate change, population growth, disease, technological change... and others we simply don't know about yet!

THE KEYS TO SUCCESS: TEAMWORK, COACHING, PRACTICE AND HARD WORK 3!

THE KEYS TO SUCCESS: TEAMWORK, COACHING, PRACTICE AND HARD WORK 2!

THE KEYS TO SUCCESS: TEAMWORK, COACHING, PRACTICE AND HARD WORK!

BRITISH CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE BUSINESS AND EDUCATION SURVEY 2015

Firms think careers advice should include workplace experiences (64%), encounters with employers and employees (62%), and link curriculum learning to careers (45%).

This is exactly what we have been developing in the Cutlers' 'Made in Sheffield' programme over the last three years. If you want to find out more about the programme please get in touch.

BRITISH CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE BUSINESS AND EDUCATION SURVEY 2015

Business leaders surveyed think that secondary schools could do more to help students get on the career ladder, with three key actions needed to bridge the gap between the world of education and the world of work. Most businesspeople think schools should teach students how to conduct themselves in an interview (78%), demonstrate transferable skills (54%) and communicate lessons learned from work experience (46%).

This is exactly what we have been developing in the Cutlers' 'Made in Sheffield' programme over the last three years. If you want to find out more about the programme please get in touch.

BRITISH CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE BUSINESS AND EDUCATION SURVEY 2015

The report identifies the skills employers believe young people need and urges schools to embed key skills for work into the curriculum. The top five skills that firms value most are communication (88%), literacy (69%), numeracy (64%), computer literacy (56%) and teamwork (53%).

This is exactly what we have been developing in the Cutlers' 'Made in Sheffield' programme over the last three years. If you want to find out more about the programme please get in touch.

BRITISH CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE BUSINESS AND EDUCATION SURVEY 2015

Two-thirds of businesses (69%) believe that secondary schools are not effective at preparing young people for work, according to a major new UK-wide survey of over 3,500 business and education leaders published by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).

This is exactly what we have been developing in the Cutlers' 'Made in Sheffield' programme over the last three years. If you want to find out more about the programme please get in touch.

THINK TEAM!

Schools need relationships with other schools, headteachers need relationships with other headteachers and teachers need relationships with other teachers.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE; DO SOMETHING!!

BE PART OF THE SOLUTION, NOT PART OF THE PROBLEM!

Working with another group of young people in Sheffield last week reaffirmed my belief in people; their energy, passion, enthusiasm and commitment. It also made me realise how destructive the current accountability system is and the desperate need to develop learning leadership, beautiful systems and intelligent accountability as the drivers for change across the country.

IF OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS!

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT MATTERS!

Together, we must put the things that matter first and ensure that every school is a brilliant school and every child becomes a brilliant learner!

LEAVE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE!

Whatever you do...

TRUST AND COMMUNICATION... HAND IN HAND!

BUILDING TRUST MATTERS!

The most effective systems across the world appear to have established a clear sense of what they are trying to achieve for their children and young people and then they get out of the way and allow local solutions to develop alongside local accountabilities and support.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU BELIEVE YOU ARE!

Whether you like it or not, what you think is the secret to accomplishing something really great and is the basis behind anything you achieve! So trust yourself! Believe in yourself! Learn from your mistakes! Show courage and wisdom! Be true! Be Happy! 

ARE YOU PART OF THE SOLUTION OR PART OF THE PROBLEM?

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

IT'S A TEAM GAME!

We know what it takes to build brilliant provision, and it's alive and well in so many places. 

THE ANSWER IS LEARNING LEADERSHIP, BEAUTIFUL SYSTEMS AND INTELLIGENT ACCOUNTABILITY NOT INSPECTION AND TESTING !

At the end if yet another week working with some great young people in Sheffield, I am confused that people keep telling us that our education system in Yorkshire and the Humber is performing so poorly when compared to the best in the UK or the best in Europe let alone the best in the world.

THE ARTS, CULTURE AND SPORTS AMBASSADORS VISIT SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY FC!

I was at Sheffield Wednesday Football Club today with the Arts, Culture and Sports ambassadors from Firth Park Academy, Stocksbridge High School and Westfield School.

INSPECTION AND TESTING DOESN'T IMPROVE TEACHING AND LEARNING!

Inspection and testing doesn't improve teaching and learning. If they did we would have a brilliant education system here in England since we are the most tested and observed school system on the planet. We do need to improve teaching and learning in every classroom and develop a coaching culture where practice and hard work builds success but you don't fatten the pig by constantly weighing it!! 

TEAMWORK, COLLABORATION AND INTELLIGENT ACCOUNTABILITY WORK!

In this paper, John Hattie argues that we need instead is a defensible and compelling narrative that leads to long-term, coherent and focused system-wide attention on student learning. 

QUICK FIXES AND DISTRACTIONS DON'T WORK!

This report is the first of two linked papers by John Hattie on what doesn’t work in education.

SORRY BUT TESTING DOESN'T WORK!

We have been testing children and young people for years and we are still struggling to raise standards and compete with the best in the world. Admitting you are wrong is a strength and this week the Obama administration admitted that high-stakes testing doesn't work.

THE BECKMAN EQUATION: INVEST + DEVELOP + SUSTAIN = GAIN!

James Heckman argues that character skills matter greatly and that there is widespread evidence that failing to systematically develop, measure and reward positive character traits is failing society—in schools, in families, in communities and in the workplace. 

THINK ONCE, THINK TWICE...

THE FUTURE IS SITTING IN A CLASSROOM TODAY!

Welcome back after a well-deserved half-term break. Educating our children is the most important thing we do as a society since it builds the future. It creates the parents, teachers, doctors, lawyers, scientists, businessmen and women, nurses, designers, policemen and women, bankers, sportsmen and women, retail workers, construction workers, firefighters, artists and entrepreneurs of the future.

THE SAND AND THE STONE STORY!

Another Sunday, and as the half-term holiday ends, I wanted to share another powerful story with you all. It's the story of two friends...