HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

 I hope that everyone who reads my blog has a happy, healthy, safe and successful 2018!

And always remember that when it comes down to it the only things that really matter are faith, family and friends!

REMEMBER...

"Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So love the people who treat you right, forget about the ones who don’t and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said that it’d be easy, they just promised it would be worth it."

SEE YOU IN 2018!

HAVE A GREAT CHRISTMAS!

“I know what I want someone to give me for Christmas. I have known since I was forty years old…. It’s delight and simplicity that I want... foolishness and fantasy and noise, angels and miracles and wonder and innocence and magic. It’s hard to talk about but what I really, really want for Christmas is just this:
I want to be five again for an hour and I want to laugh a lot and cry a lot. I know that it doesn’t make sense but since when is Christmas about sense anyway?”
Robert Fulghum

THANK YOU!

Christmas is a time for people, families, love, kindness and giving and I have been lucky this year to have spent so much time with people I love and care about... you know who you are... thank you for spending some time with me during the year.

MAKING THE MOST OF EVERYONE'S SKILLS AND TALENTS!

The DfE have published their long awaited Careers Strategy...

REMEMBERING AT CHRISTMAS, THE FORGOTTEN HALF!

“Our interest is in the provision of an education that gives young people the experience and skills to continually build their careers once they enter the labour market. We urge 
that the education system be less focused on pushing young people through the hoops of assessment that lead on to higher education, and more focused on equipping them with the capabilities to progress through the labour market.

SKILLS FOR LIFE AND WORK!

This review by the Early Intervention Foundation looks at the evidence of links between social and emotional skills in children and how they fare as adults.

WORLD CLASS SKILLS MUST BE AT THE HEART OF WHAT WE DO!

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.

RESEARCH TELLS US 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!  

THE FUTURE OF SKILLS: EMPLOYMENT IN 2030!

"Jobs are the cornerstone of our economic and social lives: they give people meaning, self-respect, income and the chance to make contributions to the communities where they live!"

AND WHAT WORKS BEST IS "DOLLOPS OF FEEDBACK"!

The great thing about research is that it tells us what works and importantly what doesn't work!
The EEF Teaching and Learning Toolkit reinforces John Hattie's work.

THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT WORK BEST!

WHAT WORKED IN 2017!

Another year and another opportunity to reflect on what we have learned working with some great schools, great colleagues and wonderful young people. Thanks to those experiences, and the Sutton Trust, the EEF toolkit, the EPPI studies, John Hattie, Michael Fullan and Andy Hargreaves, we know, and have the evidence for, what works, and also importantly we know what doesn’t!

LIVE LONG AND PROSPER!

Another blooming Christmas and as I have said for a long time we simply need stay connected with friends and colleagues and volunteer and give to others whenever and whatever we can. Interestingly, I was re-reading some research gathered on more than 1,500 children who were about 10 years old when they were first studied in 1921. This study has been used to create the most comprehensive longitudinal evidence for how to live long and prosper.

ANYONE FOR COFFEE?

Where do the years, terms and weeks go? I can't believe that it's nearly Christmas again...another year has flown by and I am constantly reminded that I don't do enough to stay in touch with friends and family and this great story reminded 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...

GOOD FRIENDS ARE LIKE STARS!

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

PERHAPS WE SHOULD ALL GO OUT AND BUY SOME MARBLES?

In the hurly burly of life and work and our struggle against the challenges and problems life throws at us where there is never enough time or money to get by or to get ahead we can forget the things that matter and are really important. I am seeing some old friends today in Leeds and it's funny how Christmas brings everything into sharp focus.... it's a time when we need to be with friends, families and those we love.

This is the theory of "a thousand marbles."...

KEEP IT SIMPLE!

I have had a great week with some amazing friends, colleagues and young people and I constantly wonder why is there is so much negativity, criticism and unpleasantness around. Education, schools, teachers and colleagues, some working in some of the most challenging contexts, are doing a great job but are constantly criticised in the media, by OFSTED and by the DfE. We need to change the culture surrounding education and learning to create a more positive, reflective and supportive framework and critically we all need a rule book to help us live our lives.

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.