ARE YOU SHARING, NETWORKING AND LEARNING?

We all need to share, network and learn. I am currently learning in Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield but I am always happy to share. Alway happy to network. Always happy to help! You can contact me at chris@brilliant-learning.co.uk

OPEN BADGES ARE COMING TO BLBW!

Mozilla created Open Badges in 2011 with funding from the MacArthur Foundation and a network of partners committed to developing a new way to recognise learning wherever it happened – in and out of formal education and online. We are now exploring how Better Learners, Better Workers can further develop using Open Badges...

MAKE SURE YOU READ THE CITIES OF LEARNING REPORT!

More and more of us are living in cities and an interesting RSA report has just been published. It argues that Cities of Learning has the potential to unlock significant benefits for cities, learners, and employers...

BLBW: AN ENTITLEMENT FOR ALL!

The Better Learners, Better Workers programme is based on developing the key skills that employers, partners and research across the Sheffield City region, the country and the world have told us young people need to succeed at school, at work and in later life. 

THE SKILLS THAT MATTER!

OUR NEW SCHOOLS!

BLBW MOVES UP A GEAR!

 

ONWARDS AND UPWARDS: BLBW RELEASING THE WOW FACTOR!

This year we are working with even more schools and employers and reaching even more young people across the Sheffield City Region. We now have programmes in 30 schools where we are training 500 Ambassadors and through our WOW Factor programme reaching over 6000 young people across Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield. We are continuing to deliver employer-led learning across six main employment sectors which are critical to the economic development of the Sheffield City Region: Arts & Culture, Construction, Digital, Emergency Services, Engineering and NHS/Healthcare.

NEW: BLBW AMBASSADOR HANDBOOK

We know that skills matter and that we need to help young people achieve these skills because they are the keys to success at school, at work and in life! Over the Summer we have rewritten all the BLBW materials and the new BLBW handbook is to help young people to develop a portfolio of evidence to show how they are developing the essential skills needed for success at school, college, university, and at work. As always, happy to share, network and learn so if you want to find out more please get in touch.

NEW: BLBW AMBASSADOR SKILLS BOOKLET!

We know that skills matter and that we need to help young people achieve these skills because they are the keys to success at school, at work and in life! Over the Summer we have rewritten all the BLBW materials and the new ambassador skills booklet shows young people what they need to do to achieve each level of the fifteen skills which make up the Better Learners, Better Workers skill set. Happy to share, network and learn so if you want to find out more please get in touch.

MY MEETING WITH SONIA!

I was in Sheffield this morning to have breakfast with my brilliant colleague and friend Sonia Sharp. Sonia and I worked together at Education Leeds where we established the foundations for brilliant learning and built something amazing... an organisation and culture that changed lives and won awards and accolades for everything it did!!! Sonia has been working in Australia where she has also been doing some extraordinary stuff! The breakfast meeting was great and it made me realise how much I miss her energy, passion and enthusiasm!! It also reminded me of that rare magic and incredible teamwork we had at Education Leeds... with so many amazing colleagues who have gone on to do so much in so many areas!! We are both passionate about young people, learning, skills and changing lives and the meeting reminded me, in case I ever forget, that the things that matter most in life are friends, family and faith! We agreed that we needed to stay in touch and continue to try to change the world for all our young people!

BLBW:MiB YEAR 9 AMBASSADORS GET STARTED!

I started the day at the 'Better Learners, Better Workers; Made in Barnsley' Y9 Induction Session at the Priory Campus in Barnsley with my colleagues Sharon Swift, from Barnsley Healthcare Federation, and Sarah Ward, from Straaltechniek and the WorkWise Foundation.

FORMER STUDENT, JUSTINE GREENING, THE EDUCATION SECRETARY, OFFICIALLY OPENS OAKWOOD HIGH SCHOOL!

I was at Oakwood High School this morning, where Justine Greening, the Secretary of State for Education, was officially opening their fantastic new school building. Justine Greening MP was returning to her former Rotherham school to officially open its new building. Interestingly she is the first Education Secretary with a comprehensive school background!

TO CREATE BETTER LEARNERS AND BETTER WORKERS... THINK TEAM!

If you read the McKinsey Report, analyse the PISA data and listen to people like Ken Robinson it is increasingly obvious that to prepare for the future, to compete on an international stage and to access the opportunities created by the knowledge based industries, we need to create learning pathways that ignite and inspire our children and young people to become brilliant learners and brilliant workers. 

AMAZING STUFF: 3D PRINTING?

Over the weekend I read that MX3D are going to 3D print a fully functional, intricate steel bridge in the centre of Amsterdam...

NO ONE ACHIEVES ANYTHING ON THEIR OWN... TEAMWORK MATTERS!

In an increasingly complex world where colleagues, families, schools and businesses are facing relentless pressure, facing higher and higher expectations and facing increased and increasing demands to do things more efficiently and more effectively, we need to remember that teamwork matters!

WHATEVER YOU DO, SUCCESS CRITICALLY DEPENDS ON SHARING, NETWORKING AND LEARNING!

DARTON COLLEGE AND 'BETTER LEARNERS, BETTER WORKERS: MADE IN BARNSLEY' WORKING TOGETHER!

I was at Darton College again this morning... I was there to meet Dave Bond who had managed to get a group of Y9 students together, who were interested in finding out more about the 'Better Learners, Better Workers: Made in Barnsley' programme, after the introductory assembly Sarah Ward and I ran for the whole yeargroup. 

IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE WHO CAN HELP US?

Better Learners, Better Workers (BLBW) is now working with 30 schools across Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield... and importantly we are working with over 500 ambassadors in key employment sectors. We now need new funding to help us take Better Learners, Better Workers (BLBW) to the next stage...

BLBW GOES FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH!

Better Learners, Better Workers (BLBW) has reached its targets as agreed with the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC)... we are now working with 30 schools across Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield... and importantly we are working with over 500 ambassadors in key employment sectors... and we are constantly looking for ways to improve and further develop the programmes. As part of this development, our new materials... a new ambassador handbook, a new ambassador skills booklet... will be available next week.

MEETING WITH EDGE FOUNDATION!

I had great meeting this morning with Olly Newton, Director of Policy and Research, at the Edge Foundation and my colleague Rob Walker from Sheffield City Council.

FACT: OFSTED IS NOT A SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT TOOL!!

If it was we would have a brilliant education system here in England since we are the most checked up on and observed school system on the planet... and the latest OECD/PISA evidence shows that we are still struggling to build brilliant teaching and learning. Clearly, we 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'!! 

WISE WORDS FROM THE CBI!

“Getting the next generation on the escalator to achieve their potential is one of the most exciting challenges we face. Businesses have traditionally focused on education at 14 plus, but it’s clear we need to tackle problems earlier, instead of applying a sticking plaster later on. We have some great teachers and average grades are rising, but we’ve been kidding ourselves about overall standards. By teaching to the test, too many young people’s individual needs are not being met, and they are being failed by the system. Government reforms are heading in the right direction, but are not sufficient on their own and must go further and faster. As well as academic rigour, we need schools to produce rounded and grounded young people who have the skills and behaviours that businesses want.” 

John Cridland, CBI Director-General

THE AMAZING QUEENSFERRY CROSSING!

I was in Scotland over the weekend and visited South Queensferry where the new Queensferry Crossing has just been finished and what a feat of engineering it is. The new bridge, the Queensferry Crossing, is an amazing structure and opened on 30 August 2017. The 1.7 mile (2.7km) structure is the longest three-tower, cable-stayed bridge in the world and also by far the largest to feature cables which cross mid-span. 23,000 miles of cabling, 35,000 tonnes of steel and 150,000 tonnes of concrete were used to construct it. This innovative design provides extra strength and stiffness, allowing the towers and the deck to be more slender and elegant at a total cost of over £1.35 billion.

THE CUTLERS' COMPANY EDUCATION COMMITTEE!

I was in Sheffield yesterday meeting with the Cutlers' Education Committee which is guiding the Cutlers' 'Better Learners, Better Workers' scheme.

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH...

PENISTONE GRAMMAR SCHOOL STUDENTS START THEIR JOURNEY!

Sarah Ward and I were at Penistone Grammar School this afternoon working with Nick Green, who had managed to get a group of students who might be interested in the 'Better Learners, Better Workers: Made in Barnsley' programme. Sarah and I were there to deliver a workshop to explain the approach, the programme and the opportunities and challenges ahead for any students interested in working with us over the next two years.

WE KNOW THAT SKILLS MATTER!

It isn't just me... we all know that adults with skills have better outcomes in the world of work than their less proficient peers, have greater chances of being employed and if employed earn more!  

WE NEED LEARNING LEADERSHIP, BEAUTIFUL SYSTEMS AND INTELLIGENT ACCOUNTABILITY!

If we are serious about building world class provision for our children and young people, more than ever we need to develop learning leadership, beautiful systems and intelligent accountability...

LEADERSHIP NEEDED!

We live in a  world where we are increasingly over-managed and under-led!

Management is about coping with complexity, while leadership is about promoting change. Leaders select and develop talent, motivate people and coach and build trust! Managers maintain systems and structures and maintain the status quo! Of course we need both, but  most of all at the moment we need strategies and ideas, we need innovation and creativity, we need trust and empowered people who are passionate about what they do.

YOU DON'T FATTEN A PIG BY CONSTANTLY WEIGHING IT!

We all know that we need world class education and learning to enable our young people to thrive and succeed in the world of work and to help our companies and businesses compete on the world stage. We need brilliant provision in every school, every classroom, every workshop, every lecture theatre and wherever learning takes place... starting early and continuing throughout the college and university system. We seem to have been struggling with this all my working life and people keep telling us that schools in England are still performing poorly when compared to the best in Europe let alone the best in the world.

EXCELLENCE MATTERS!

"Whether they burst with excitement or simmer quietly, when you are in the presence of enthusiastic people, you feel happier and more excited about your life, perhaps you even feel inspired."
How do we create excellence... in our classrooms, our schools and colleges, our businesses and companies and in our lives and communities? We need to create a culture where everyone goes the extra mile to achieve that bit of magic. A culture where everyone cares about the business and everyone feels a sense of ownership... about their school, their company or their community A culture where everyone is trusted, empowered, valued and respected for the unique contribution they can make. A culture that is rooted in developing those unique talents alongside core skills, character and higher level skills.

TEACHING THE ELEPHANT TO DANCE!

A colleague asked me recently how she should start with the challenges she was facing  and I told her she should read a great book by James Belasco...

HOW WE DO THINGS ROUND HERE!

I see productivity is down again and to address this we need to look at the culture of organisations, businesses, schools, colleges and universities. It is something I have wrestled with all my working life but how do you move on from saying the words to actually making the cultural change? We have some brilliant organisational development plans, so many briefing sessions for staff, so much training and development, we invest so much in our people. However, for some strange reason, it hasn't changed the way we do things around here! We need to create passionate organisations where learning leadership, beautiful systems and intelligent accountability drive performance and I think the problem is that our focus too often is on management and not leadership!

DOES IT WORK, JAKE?

In these busy times I often wonder if we are making a difference and whether the programmes are changing lives and importantly getting young people on pathways to success and the world of work. It was really encouraging to read Jake's story...

DOES IT WORK, WILLIAM?

In these busy times I often wonder if we are making a difference and whether the programmes are changing lives and importantly getting young people on pathways to success and the world of work. It was really encouraging to read William's story so far...

DON VALLEY ACADEMY AMBASSADORS START THEIR JOURNEY TOWARDS THE WORLD OF WORK!!

I was really pleased to be back at Don Valley Academy today working with Richard Brooke, the academy principal, and Patrick Morris, who had managed to get a fantastic group of students to apply to become Don Valley Academy's first 'Better Learners, Better Workers' ambassadors!

Sarah Ward and I had already delivered a whole Year 9 assembly and a targeted workshop to explain the approach, the programme and the opportunities and challenges ahead for any students interested in working with us over the next two years. Today was the interviews...

THE NHS AMBASSADOR PROGRAMME MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

I met with Yvonne Byrne and Cheryl Plant this morning to review where we are with the 'Better Learners, Better Workers' NHS programme. The programme is one of the original strands of 'Made in Sheffield' and Yvonne's passion, enthusiasm and commitment has had such an impact on so many young people over the last six years.

WHAT MAKES FOR SUCCESS?

Over the last forty years I have seen so many extraordinary places and learned so much about success and achievement. It seems to me that successful organisations, successful schools and successful teams, all have the following characteristics...

BEING WORLD CLASS MATTERS... OK ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH ANY MORE!

High-performing countries like China, Finland, South Korea, and Singapore and those like Canada and Australia, who see a future where automation, globalisation and collaboration are changing the landscape, realise the global economic landscape has changed. In response, they are re-imagining their education systems by focusing on developing world class skills. We need to persuade the powers that be here that the future is only going to be secured if we develop a World Class Learning Framework to drive our learning landscape. A framework built on World Class Skills as well as subjects.

WHY SKILLS MATTER TODAY!

"The principal goal of education... 

should be creating men and women who are capable of doing new things... 

men and women who are creative, inventive and discoverers."

How do we equip our young people with what they will need to thrive and succeed in a world of work where the landscape is changing so rapidly that many if not most of the jobs they will be doing are new or haven't been invented yet!