These words from the song Proud by Heather Small have been ringing in my ears this week. I am proud of many aspects of our Education in Argyll and Bute. There are many things we can improve on but this week I was able to stand still and think about what I was proud of.

On Tuesday and Wednesday I attended the launch Children and Young Peoples Collaborative in Glasgow. This new collaborative brings together the work which has been undertaken in Early Years Collaborative and Raising Attainment for All.  Nationally both programmes have been heavily influenced by the improvement model.  During the conference the presentations and workshops demonstrated how the model for improvement has influenced change and improvement across many areas of Education and health. On Tuesday evening the Quality Improvement Awards were presented at a gala dinner.  I was so proud of the two Argyll and Bute projects up for an award.  Both Kintyre Family Pathways and Early Years improvement in Tarbert Academy were runners up. An amazing achievement.

On Friday another outstanding event took place at Inveraray. Over 240 pupils ranging from 8 to 11 year olds from 40 schools took part in the first Digital Leaders Conference.  The young people learned about becoming a digital leader, coding, and programming and how they can support the learning in their own schools.  It was an amazing event to be part of and I cannot begin to express my pride in these young people who were absolutely engaged in the work and their own learning.

The day was facilitated by Argyll and Bute Learning Technologies team and iTeach. This activity demonstrates the link to the world of work for our young people.

Other areas of work I have been involved this work have the fortnightly Department Management Team (DMT).  I also met with Shona Taylor our Area Lead Officer from Education Scotland Officer in regard to current national programmes.  I was also working with colleagues across partnerships in Argyll and Bute’s Children and the Child Protection Committee.  It is essential we all work together to ensure we are Getting It Right for Our Children.  As always I valued the opportunity to speak with teachers and head teachers this week. It is very important for me to hear about what is working well for our young people and where we need to improve.