TODAY AS THE UK HAS DECIDED TO LEAVE THE EU, COFFEE ANYONE?

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Remember friends, faith and family matter most. There will always be time for the small stuff.  Take care of the things that really matter first. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand...

I am constantly reminded that I don't do enough to stay in touch with friends and family and this great story reminds me about the things that really matter... "A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was...

DONCASTER MATTERS!

I was at the Doncaster Chamber of Commerce today working with Tina Slater, Business and Education Manager. We were working together develop a pilot programme which would link together the Doncaster Skills Academy with the Cutlers' 'Better Learners, Better Workers: Made in Doncaster' programme.  Exciting times... watch this space!

BARNSLEY MATTERS!

I was in Barnsley again today working with Kelly Drury, who is managing the Cutlers' 'Better Learners, Better Workers: Made in Barnsley' programmer for the Barnsley Healthcare Federation. Kelly is the Training & Professional Development Manager for the Barnsley Healthcare Federation and it has been a real privilege working with her as we put the programme in place for students from Horizon Community College,  Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England School and The Dearne ALC. Kelly is a passionate Barnsley FC supporter and her enthusiasm and energy are contagious and the young people who get selected for this pilot programme are going to be very lucky!!

WHAT WOULD YOUR LIFE BE LIKE WITHOUT MUSIC AND THE ARTS?

"The arts are a central part of the human experience and young people cannot participate or understand our history without engaging in the arts..."

THE ARTS MATTER!

There are so many of us who passionately believe that every child matters, and that those who are the hardest to reach and the hardest to teach matter more. Increasingly experience tells us that for young people generally, and for those harder to reach young people, the arts matter...

BE HAPPY, STAY HAPPY!

You can get bogged down by the challenges life throws at you, but I hope this will remind you how you can be happy and stay happy!

THE 80-20 RULE!

How do we create great schools for every child, every young person and every community? Personally, I passionately believe that the answers lie in developing collaborative and creative learning organisations built on beautiful systems, deep research, intelligent accountability and the importance of discipline and character. 

REMEMBER, YOU DON'T FATTEN A PIG BY WEIGHING IT!

At the end if yet another couple of weeks working with some great young people and their teachers in Sheffield and Barnsley, 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.

REMEMBER WHAT MATTERS!

It has been another busy few weeks working on strategies and data, analysis and intelligence and case studies. Another week where people focus on the wrong things... like uniform, instruction, structures and management as the keys to success and fail to recognise the importance of feedback, challenge and hands-on experience of the world of work.

BE PART OF SOMETHING SPECIAL!

Working with colleagues in Barnsley, Rotherham and Sheffield this week has 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.

SUCCESS IS ABOUT PERSISTENCE, DETERMINATION AND HARD WORK!

CUTLERS' 'MADE IN ROTHERHAM' PILOT!

I was in Rotherham today at the Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust working with James Short, Learning and Development Manager, and colleagues from Oakwood High School and Saint Pius X Catholic High School.

THERE IS SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT BARNSLEY!

 Lots to do but I was at Horizon Community College again this morning with the steering group who are working together to shape and steer the 'Better Learners, Better Workers: Made in Barnsley' programme. The programme is being led by Kelly Drury, Training & Professional Development Manager at Barnsley Healthcare Federation, who is being supported by Paul Bibby.

WE MUST KEEP THE ARTS ALIVE!

WHAT THE ARTS TEACHES US...

THE ARTS AND CULTURE MATTER!

The arts matters and should be part of the entitlement for all young people. It is one of those unique elements that develop the skills and character required for success in school, work and life in general.

I was in Sheffield again yesterday meeting with Luisa Golob from Ignite Imaginations. 

HOW DO WE GIVE OUR YOUNG PEOPLE THE EDGE?

Working with young people makes you realise that we are living in digital times and that change is happening at an exponential rate. What is encouraging is meeting and working with the young people  on the 'Made in Sheffield' and 'Made in Barnsley' programmes at Bradfield, Firth Park, Handsworth Grange, Outwood Academy City, Stockbridge, Westfield, Horizon, Holy Trinity and The Dearne. I have met so many young people who are creative, imaginative and passionate. They want to develop their understanding of the world of work;  finding out about engineering, construction and healthcare and developing the skills that matter; the skills that will give them the edge.

ACTIONS MATTER!

WE NEED GREAT LEADERS!

We all want every school and every classroom to be outstanding, extraordinary, world class …but what does it take to build brilliant? The answer is leadership but we are sadly short of great leaders... 

"MAKING THE WHOLE WORLD WONDER"

Tim Brighouse and I talked today about Sir Alec Clegg and the sad focus today on management rather than leadership. I found this after dinner speech which captures a little bit of what made him so extraordinary as a leader and wouldn't it be simply wonderful to have a Secretary of State for Education who focused on these four points:

• what are the qualities which great teachers have in common;
• 'What do we do that those who come after us will think odd or absurd?';
• the wisdom of some of our distinguished forbears;
• the division that exists between the education of the mind and the education of the spirit.

SIR TIM BRIGHOUSE!

I was in Doncaster this morning catching up with an old friend. Tim Brighouse, who was Director of Education in Birmingham before leading the London Challenge, is now working on the Doncaster Education and Skills Commission. 

HAPPY SUNNY SUNDAY!

"It's a lovely day today

So whatever you've got to do

You've got a lovely day to do it in, that's true...

LEADERSHIP IS...

 

SO BUILD BRIDGES!

WHAT MAKES A LEADER?

LEADERSHIP NEEDED!

It's a sad reflection on these fragmented times that the leaders, across the educational landscape, aren't all pulling in the same direction. Of course, I know that in today's crazy pressured world, school leaders are juggling multiple agendas and managing tight deadlines and there is barely time to talk, much less agree about a common purpose. It's challenging enough just keeping up with today's demands from governors, DfE and OFSTED!

WE NEED A SHARED PURPOSE!

Looking around at the fragmented organisation, the lack of leadership, coherence and purpose all I see is that there's a distinct lack of shared purpose and vision. Leaders are pulling in different directions and individuals are reluctant to share their successes and concerns. Understandably then, leaders feel alone in their efforts to get things done and team members are frustrated about the decision-making process.

LEADERSHIP MATTERS!

Strong learning leadership is still one of the keys to building brilliant learning and the RSA and the Innovation Unit have produced this report describing how school leaders can create the conditions for system-wide innovation.

WE MUST FOCUS ON MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

Our systems and mechanisms must foster on impact and outcomes and nurture trust, autonomy and accountability: between teachers and students, between teachers and headteachers, between educators and employers, between educators and politicians, and between educators, parents and the wider community.

BEAUTIFUL SYSTEMS MATTER!

We must build beautiful systems, processes and procedures to support our culture and our work. 

Systems, processes and procedures must focus on impact and outcomes and reinforce and support the way we do things around here. They must naturally fit and complement the vision, values, beliefs and behaviours we are developing and fostering.

DOES BETTER LEARNERS, BETTER WORKERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE?... JUST LOOK AT OUR IMPACT AND OUTCOMES!

Budgets are being squeezed again and schools are facing huge challenges. A colleague asked me today, how do you measure the cost of a teacher or teaching assistant against the cost of putting a targeted group of young people on the Cutlers' 'Better Learners, Better Workers' programme.