C.E. Jottings

"Treasured city charity Paces opens its new HQ" & "New home at last for treasured city charity"

"Time present and time past / Are perhaps both present in time future / And time future contained in time past." T.S. Eliot. Burnt Norton. (Four Quartets) Last Friday, under the headline "New home at last for treasured city charity", the Sheffield Star reported the opening of Paces' new office and adult services base at Smithy Wood. Amidst the celebrations, the congratulations and the plans for the future, maybe a moment can be spared to remember those who came before?... Read more →

Now can we all please grow up? Paces - the invisible School

16 years ago, in 1997, Sheffield City Council took the brave and remarkably foresighted decision to grant to Paces Sheffield a Licence to Occupy the former High Green Comprehensive School premises and to fund four children to attend what was to become the new Paces School. Four years ago, in 2009, we applied for and were granted Non-Maintained Special School status, which brought much needed Government funding in addition to fees charged to local authorities. Paces School at the last... Read more →

Scope's "exciting new strategic direction" - safe & with no mention of CP or CE

On Twitter today, Scope's CEO Richard Hawkes (@R_Hawkes), announced Scope's "exciting new strategic direction". You can read a little more on his blog, about a strategy that "concentrates on six key areas where we want to make change happen": Fulfilling family lives Living independently in the community Learning and Skills Work and volunteering Financial well-being Disabled leaders and role models These six key strategic areas are set out a little more on the Scope website under "Our Long-term Strategy". At... Read more →

Dr Hari in Sheffield

Sarah's home for the weekend and wants to get out shopping. Of course. Just checked in to this blog account to find a mystery solved. Great! But an insistent daughter gives me only a moment now for thanks for responses to an earlier post. The post was of a picture of Dr Hari at a Sheffield summer school. I wondered who the conductor was behind Sarah. I'm delighted to be able to thank Zoltán Kósa and Krisztina Jankóné Szeredás (then... Read more →

"Walking against the odds" - tripping down memory lane again

Recently, I posted about an article "Standing on their own feet" published in The Times on 1st October 1987: "In Budapest conductive education is successfully training handicapped children. Now its ideas are coming here". In the box in which I had kept that cutting, there was also a copy of The Sunday Times Magazine. Incredibly, it seems now, just a couple of weeks later, on Sunday 18th October 1987, a huge feature appeared entitled "Walking against the odds: crippled British... Read more →

"Standing on their own feet" .... tripping down memory lane

The title of this post is taken from a Times article published on Thursday 1st October 1987. The original was found browning in a box as we sorted papers after redecorating a bedroom. With it was a Sunday Times Magazine from the same time (of which more in another post). Here is the article and, at the end, an inset panel. In so many ways, reading it brings back a different world. (In passing, I note - with no surprise... Read more →

Duke of Gloucester opens new Paces School classrooms - loads of pictures

There are more pictures than I'm sure you've got time to look at to be found on the website of Chris Seaman, our photgrapher for the visit of HRH the Duke of Gloucester to Paces. (On Chris's website, click on 'Events', then on '62106 - HRH Prince Richard, The Duke of Gloucester official opening of Paces. View album') The picture of Sarah shaking hands with HRH is still my favourite. But then, I would, wouldn't I? (Previously on this visit... Read more →

Duke of Gloucester opens new Paces School classrooms

"The Duke of Gloucester met with pupils, staff, Governors, Trustees and other guests today when he officially opened a new teaching block for Paces School. On unveiling the commemorative plaque the Dukes said of Paces: " It seems to me that what you do here at Paces either can't be done at all or can be done very well. The alternative education that you offer here is effective and is an example for others to follow." Chair of Trustees, John... Read more →

Science lessons in success for conductive education

Take them with a pinch of salt, if you like. But we like lists, don't we? 10 Best films of the 2000s? 100 Things to do before you die? The Big Read. The top 100? What makes for success? What would be your top 10 factors of success for organisations? Do you agree with Hamish MacRae's list in today's Independent: The Science of Success: what works and why Here's his list: 1. Optimism – balanced by realism: Pessimism paralyses 2.... Read more →

Andras Peto on Wikipedia

While re-reading a piece by Andrew Sutton, which I believe was a lecture delivered in New York in maybe November 2001, in which he spoke of the early career of Andras Peto, I found myself wondering what Wikipedia had to tell me about Andras Peto. It is quite shocking to discover there is almost nothing (see below). By contrast, the Wikipedia entry for Reuven Feuestein is most informative. There is absolutely nothing on Dr Hari. Surely I cannot be alone... Read more →