IMPROVE YOUR PASSION AND SKILLS AND BECOME A STAR!

COMMUNITY MATTERS

"Devote yourself to loving others,

devote yourself to your community around you,

and devote yourself to creating something 

that gives you purpose and meaning."

Morrie Schwarz

We are not going to tackle the real issues facing us in this country by doing more of the same and at times like this I often ask myself what are we trying to achieve? What is our vision for our schools, our libraries, our hospitals, our care homes, our public services? How do we continue to build brilliant organisations, in brilliant places to serve brilliant communities? What is the trick to releasing the magic and unlocking the potential of each and every child, of each and every colleague and of every family and every community to be their brilliant best? Of course, I understand people's impatience with failing services but I have my doubts about the easy answers It’s the quality of what goes on in organisations that matters and everything points to the fact that people are the key to success. Evidence suggests that big improvements are possible provided we focus vigorously on the things that make a difference. This isn't intended as an excuse because the critics are right, satisfactory will never be good enough and we must constantly strive for answers to the poor services that we have put up with for so long. We need to build world class organisations with world class standards.

I have worked for over forty years trying to answer these challenges and those of us who have spent our lives at the front line know the real answers lie where they have always been...

• strong, disciplined, focused and passionate leadership;
• clear, shared vision, values and beliefs;
• talented, energetic, enthusiastic and creative teams;
• empowered, trusted and disciplined colleagues;
• powerful, stimulating and interesting environments;
• high self-esteem and high expectations of everyone;
• strong, dynamic and meaningful coaching relationships;
• high engagement and involvement of customers;
• positive engagement and involvement of the communities we serve.

We need to be determined, persistent and focused even if it is hard.… whatever it takes!

TRUST MATTERS

FOCUS ON WHAT MATTERS!

It has been a long hot Summer where I have been reading, learning, listening and looking at evidence, research, analysis and case studies. Over the last year people have focused once again on the wrong things as the keys to success and to improve outcomes and failed to recognise the importance of people, feedback, challenge, shared experience, environment and community.

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. Reading 'Teaching the Elephant to Dance' taught me such a lot about the management of change and that changing organisations and structures and cultures is possible. However, it also made me realise that changing anything is a complex task and that is where I learned so much about cultural change, learning leadership, beautiful systems and intelligent accountability.

CULTURE MATTERS!

IT'S NOT THE CRITIC WHO COUNTS!

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

Theodore Roosevelt

We must continue to develop a culture of team with co-operative and collaborative approaches where we network and share what works and create 'centres of learning excellence' and where we learn from our own best practice and what works everywhere and anywhere. We must recognise and celebrate that every school is on a learning journey; a journey to outstanding and we must constantly challenge ourselves to do better. It's also increasingly clear that OFSTED doesn't work in this context and we need to develop a new accountability framework and a model to celebrate excellence and quality assure what we do. Since I worked in York, where we developed 'Schools Learning Together', a Gatsby Charitable Foundation project, I have worked to develop new models where we find and share the bits of magic in every school and be totally honest about the areas where things aren't good enough and then connect. We must work together to develop centres of learning excellence supporting teacher to teacher and school to school learning within a powerful and reflective learning community with a relentless and uncompromising focus on what works and importantly what doesn't.

BE POSITIVE!

“You can program yourself to be positive. Being positive is a discipline … 
and the more adversity you face, the more positive you have to be. 
Being positive helps build confidence and self-esteem”

Rick Pitino, University of Louisville Head Basketball Coach

WE NEED OUR FAIR SHARE!

The real problem we face here in York is that all the indicators suggest that everything is OK and outcomes and achievements are high. However, what is also true is that the gap between those doing well and those doing badly is larger here that anywhere else in England and in every one of our schools and in every classroom there are children and young people whose engagement with arts and culture is as limited as any of the places receiving funding through the Arts Council. It isn’t fair that these young people miss out on these brilliant projects and funding opportunities!

CRESSIDA COWELL'S WATERSTONES CHILDREN'S LAUREATE CHARTER

I was in Harrogate over the weekend and noticed this in Waterstones window...

These are some of the promises I think we should make every child!

Every child has the right to...

Read for the JOY of it

Access to FREE books in schools and libraries

Have advice on what to READ from a trained librarian or teacher

Own their OWN book

Write their OWN stories

Be READ to every day

CHOOSE what they want to read

Be CREATIVE for at least fifteen minutes a day

See an AUTHOR event once a year

Have a SAFE place to read

Let me know your promises!!

CHARACTER MATTERS...

Over the last forty years, working at all levels in education and business, I have learnt the hard way that knowledge rarely changes people's behaviour or their lives. Despite convincing evidence, it's interesting that so many people won't listen... they won't stop smoking, they won't stop drinking, they won't lose weight, they won't exercise, they won't drive slower, they won't put down their phones when they are driving and they won't change the habits of a lifetime!

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH...

THE ARTS MATTER JUST AS MUCH AS LITERACY AND NUMERACY!

People constantly tell me that the arts are not as important as literacy and numeracy. I disagree... 

JUST DO IT!

Throughout my working life I have lived with constant and relentless change. Things have never stayed the same and I have been blessed to be living in a world where creativity, innovation and change have been constant factors.

WHAT WOULD LIFE BE LIKE WITHOUT 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..."

It's funny but thinking about learning and realising the importance of coaching, practice and hard work inevitable leads me back to the arts. My experiences in York and Leeds where we developed powerful arts services, and working with some brilliant colleagues, musicians and artists, have shown me that the arts provide languages and opportunities for shaping and expressing our understandings and can powerfully engage learners and provide them with opportunities to share, develop and learn from what they know.

The arts, like sport, help develop capacities and attitudes central to learning and to life and uniquely help develop imagination and empathy. The arts are a rich context for learning and developing the skills that matter. Young people are required to listen, think critically, problem solve and make decisions, things that lie at the heart of all learning. The arts help young people develop self-confidence, self-discipline and self-esteem and come to understand what it means to achieve high standards and to work as part of a team. And of course the arts bring us joy and bring joy to learning and make schools happier and more vibrant and exciting places. What would your life be like without the arts?

IF YOU HAVE A GARDEN AND A LIBRARY... YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED!

Another day, another place, another library...

I was at Harlow Carr today and visited their RHS Library and discovered another secret treasure and I am a member!

DON'T MISS WHAT'S COMING THIS AUTUMN!

I have lived here in York for more than thirty years and I am simply astonished at the things the wonderful team at Explore are bringing to York this Autumn...

... and this is just my pick of an incredible range of things coming to local libraries this Autumn. Makes you realise how wonderful the Explore libraries are!!!

I LOVE IT: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library!

Every month, my little grandson gets a book from the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

THE WOODSTOCK LIBRARY!

Another day, another library! I popped into the Woodstock Library. 

Very small and very quiet little library operating on temporary staff at the moment. The Summer Reading Challenge was advertised but there was no one around today! The Woodstock Library is housed with the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum which has a lovely cafe and gift shop! There was a ‘Make, Do and Mend’ session going strong as well!

INTERESTING PLACES!

Since I became chair of Explore, I see libraries differently and everywhere I go now I try to pop in to the local library to see what is going on and for ideas and inspiration! I visited Marlborough Library today and it is one of those very quiet old fashioned slightly fusty and damp libraries with a bucket catching the drips and a volunteer sitting at a table waiting for children to encourage them to sign up for the Summer Reading Challenge... none appeared in the hour and a half I sat there! The common demographic was the older residents of Marlborough who clearly like crime novels!! In many ways it makes you realise how lucky we are in York to have Explore managing and caring for the libraries which should be really important, vibrant and exciting public spaces!

BE BRAVE!

BE HAPPY!

I am told that happiness is elusive and that most people are simply struggling with the reality of their lives, rushing around too fast to see that there is another way. There is another way...

THIS SUNDAY MAKE SURE YOU EAT SOME CHOCOLATE!

I have been talking about the benefits of eating chocolate for a long time and some people simply wouldn't believe that is makes you cleverer and asked me where is the research evidence.

DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY!

I always find it interesting to read that while personal income has more than doubled in the past 50 years happiness levels have got worse or remained the same. While this might be surprising, recent research has shown that only 10% of our happiness is due to our external circumstances: 50% of our happiness level comes from our genes and 40% comes from the things we do.

"WHEN; THE SCIENTIFIC SECRETS OF PERFECT TIMING"

I have always know that singing was good for me and I love singing choral music... but in his book, “When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing", Dan Pink tells us that “exercise is one of the few activities in life that is indisputably good for us,” and that “choral singing might be the new exercise.” He claims that research shows us that “choral singing calms the heart and boosts endorphin levels. It improves lung function. It increases pain thresholds and reduces the need for pain medication,” Everyone should join a choir and sing!

CULTURE BEATS STRATEGY EVERY TIME!

I am not sure why it is but a lifetime of working with schools has shown me time and time again, that culture beats strategy every time!

LET'S 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 was seeing an old friend last week and it's funny how those special catch ups bring everything into sharp focus.... and reminds us of the importance of being with friends, families and those we love.

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

ANYONE FOR COFFEE?

This great story reminds us all about the things that really matter...

SKILL SHORTAGES IN THE UK!

I have been reading the Edge foundation Bulletin on Skill Shortages in the UK and it exposes, once again, the severity of skills shortages across the wider UK economy with over two-thirds (68%) of UK employers saying they have struggled to find workers with the skills they need in the previous year. It stresses that:

• 92 per cent of companies say soft skills matter as much or more than hard skills 
• A third of the working age population have few or no qualifications 
• The Office for National Statistics estimated that 1.5 million jobs are at high risk of automation 
• 70.2 per cent of the jobs most at risk are currently held by women.

The report’s author, Edge’s Director of Policy and Research, Olly Newton, puts it so well:

‘By bringing together analysis from across organisations and sectors, we can see this is a perfect storm. The fact that employers struggle to recruit because candidates don’t have the skills they need, shows the depth of the schism between education policy and industrial strategy.

‘The so-called ‘soft skills’ that people need to secure employment, should be called ‘critical skills’ because these are the skills, behaviours and aptitudes we need in the workplace now and to adapt to the jobs of the future. It is women, younger people and those with lower levels of skills-who are most vulnerable to being replaced by computer programs, algorithms or robots. We should be mapping our curriculum and life-long learning offer to the skills we need for 21st century jobs, not to the 19th century notion that exam grades are the only measure of talent and ability.’

EMPLOYABILITY AND ENTERPRISE!

‘Businesses are clear that the biggest drivers of success for young people are attitudes and attributes such as resilience, enthusiasm and creativity.’

CBI/Pearson Education and Skills Survey 2017

"The Fourth Industrial Revolution will have an impact like none other because automation and artificial intelligence will lead to a significant reshaping of the labour market and a loss of employment in traditional areas3. This may hit industries like logistics first through driverless vehicles but it will impact professions like law, insurance and accountancy just as significantly. If we are to stay ahead of the ‘rise of the robots’, we need to develop a new generation of creative, resilient team players who think, question and collaborate. Studying the arts is an essential part of that process."

Alice Barnard Chief Executive, The Edge Foundation

The Cultural Learning Alliance briefing paper is an important read for anyone who wants to rethink and reimagine our education offer!

OOR WULLIE'S BUCKET TRAIL!

Everywhere we went in Edinburgh this weekend we saw 'Our Wullie's and I wanted to know more!  Scotland's national treasure, Oor Wullie, is on an adventure across the country with the world's first nationwide public art trail. The 2019 Oor Wullie BIG Bucket Trail stretches across Scotland to raise money for the country's three children's hospital charities. Similar to the Sheffield Children's Hospital elephants, this is a simply great idea!!!

WEST SIDE STORY IN EDINBURGH!

My musical and artistic adventure to the Edinburgh Festival ended with a timeless love story and an electrifying spectacle performed by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra conduced by Sir John Eliot Gardiner with a hand-picked cast from Scotland and America and special guest instrumentalists drawn from the worlds of jazz and musical theatre!  West Side Story is loosely based on Romeo and Juliet, and Leonard Bernstein’s wonderful score was a defining moment in musical theatre and the songs — ‘America’, ‘Maria’, ‘Tonight’, ‘Somewhere’, Something's Coming', 'One Hand, One Heart' — brought the audience to smiles, tears and at the end to their feet more than 60 years after the work’s premiere. Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducted as Bernstein originally intended, and this very special performance of this ground-breaking, irresistibly foot tapping work brought the house down!!

LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC, ,YUJA WANG AND GUSTAVO DUDAMEL IN EDINBURGH!

The Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel performed three pieces as the electrifying conclusion to their very special International Festival residency. Dudamel and the remarkable group of  musicians, that make up this extraordinary orchestra, opened the evening with Barber’s heartbreaking Adagio, during which you could hear a pin drop as the audience marvelled at the disciplined and focused playing. The concert lost some of it's magic during the diabolical, fiery and dischordinate John Adams 'Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes?', which featured the astonishing talents of Chinese piano sensation Yuja Wang, who had previously performed in two magnificent International Festival concerts in 2015. Fortunately for us all, she played three encores which were simply wonderful and brought the house down! The concert ended with a stirring rendition of Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony which again showed what an amazingly talented, disciplined and focused team of musicians the Los Angeles Philharmonic are!! A simply incredible evening!!!

BALLETBOYZ IN EDINBURGH!

 ‘It doesn’t seem to matter what they dance. The result is always the same – fantastic’ (TheTimes).

We were privileged to see the award-winning all-male BalletBoyz making their explosive Edinburgh debut in a programme that included two works... Them and Us! Created collaboratively by the BalletBoyz dancers, THEM, with the six dancers working with a large steel cuboid frame, explored each dancer as an individual and demonstrated the versatility of movement which BalletBoyz are renowned for. In US, Tony and Olivier Award-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon examined human connections, culminating in a tender duet which premiered in 2017 to public acclaim. With contrasting and atmospheric scores by artist Keaton Henson and composer Charlotte Harding, this brilliant double-bill brought the house down and made you want more!

THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL 2019!

Just back from the Edinburgh Festival... I love Edinburgh and this year the Festival has been amazing... managed to go to three wonderful events... the BalletBoyz, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra Concert performance of West Side Story!