Inside This Issue
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The Network Inside this Issue: CS Live Focus on CS Local CSNW Academy 2015 And much more… e-mail The Network with any thoughts or suggestions! Page 1 Welcome to issue five of The Network Editor’s Note What’s Inside Welcome back to The Network. You Said, We Did For issue five we focus on the work across the region by CS Local, with input from North West Co-ordinator Kathie Bates. The last six weeks have seen a number of Thanks for your feedback! events take place and The Network has it covered. We hear about CS Live, 2015’s Academy and even a cross-site sports day with an added twist. Meet a Senior Leader Our regular ‘Classified’ feature returns with details on some of the initiatives and Shona Dunn projects that are currently ongoing in the North West. CS Live As an extra treat, DfE’s Director General Shona Dunn tells us about her life in the civil service. Jen tells us about her day We welcome Katherine Mansfield to the team who successfully applied for the Focus On opportunity to join us for this issue. Have an interesting story? Want to sell best practise? Fancy five minutes of fame!? CS Local Get in touch via email as we may be able to help you! CS Local Leader Meet The Network: Katherine Kathie Bates I can’t believe that it’s six years since I moved from London to Salford to join the CSNW Academy HMRC Gambling Taxes Team. Organiser, delegate, and coach! I’m actually a true northerner; I was born Rochdale and War of the Roses brought up in Lincolnshire. However, after spending twenty years down south I was well on the way to turning DfE’s cross-site Sports Day into a Cockney. Those years were mainly spent in what was then called the Department of the Environment. Classified There, I did such things as regulating waste and giving What's going on in the region planning permission to Heathrow Terminal 5. For a while, I was a speechwriter and I met my husband when I was writing a speech about Docklands and he was working in the Docklands Team. In the 2000s I came over to Inland Revenue which then became HMRC. Editorial Team - Contact us The Gambling Tax Team has been a great experience although a bit surreal at times. Glenn Atkins (DH) One day I can be discussing principals of constitutional law and the next trying to get to grips with the rules of bingo. The best thing has definitely been the people I’ve [email protected] worked with. I’d like to take this opportunity to mention my departing boss, Andy Jane Cunningham (HMRC) Grimsley. It’s been a privilege to work for someone who is a true leader in the best [email protected] sense. It is thanks to him that the Team has achieved some amazing things including Jen Frankish (DWP) creating an entirely new tax on fruit machines. [email protected] Who is your favourite food? Cheese Kerry McKinley (HMRC) What is the last film you watched and provide a two word review? Mistress [email protected] America—Manhattan kookiness Robbie Roberts (DfE) Who would be your 5 ideal dinner party guests? Not celebrities or famous people, old friends who are sadly no longer with us [email protected] e-mail The Network with any thoughts or suggestions! Page 2 Your feedback is invaluable, so here’s… You Said We Did You Said, We Did returns. Here are some examples of the comments we have received: 1. You Said - I really enjoy reading The Network, I like the fact it focuses on a different Government Department each issue. I also like the input from a different senior leader each issue. We Did - Glad you’re enjoying The Network, as a special treat for you, this issues SCS article comes from a Director General! 2. You Said - The whole document is eye catching, especially the classified page and invites the reader to continue reading… although reading about the Everton and Man United fans was annoying… only joking! The hyper links makes the page interactive and user friendly… great to see from a web designer perspective. We Did - Thanks for the positive comments, we’re sure you’ll enjoy this... 3. You Said - I think there may be a little too many interviews with people or maybe that they are just a little large. We Did - We try to restrict the length of articles but we also want people in the region to know what’s going on in the North West by providing enough information. 4. You Said - Just had a look and first impression is that it’s quite big, loud and busy. It does have some good info but I personally found the graphics a little distracting. Overall it contains quite a good mixture of information, not all relevant but interesting to get an overview. We Did - nothing, just yet! But we are, moving forward, exploring revamping The Network so all suggestions and ideas would be really appreciated Thanks again for the feedback we’ve had so far but it doesn’t stop here. Contact one of the editorial team to let us know what you think of our latest issue, or email [email protected]. Don’t forget, if you have any ideas or suggestions on the format of The Network, in both design and content, let us know. e-mail The Network with any thoughts or suggestions! Page 3 Meet a Director General! DfE’s Shona Dunn For the last two years I have been the Director General for Education Standards in the Department for Education. I came to education from DCLG where I’d spent most of my career working in areas like planning and housing. I was attracted to DfE for all the same reasons most of my colleagues were: the opportunity to play a role in ensuring that every child gets the best start in life, and the very best education, whatever their background and wherever they live. My role spans many different aspects of the school system, from ensuring the supply of high quality teachers and leaders, to setting the curriculum, reforming qualifications and ensuring appropriate accountability for performance. The National College of Teaching and Leadership and the Standards and Testing Agency form part of my team and I lead for the Government on its relationship with the key Getting to know… regulators, Ofsted and Ofqual. I’m also responsible for 16-19 education Shona including the Apprenticeship Programme (working with BIS). 1. What is your favourite food? Being at the heart of the reform of the education system over the last Any really strong cheese, two years has been a brilliant experience. I’ve led lots of system reform although to be truthful I think I during my twenty years in the Civil Service, but rarely have I seen such could also happily live on comprehensive change delivered with such immediate impact. I think Frazzles. most people with children at different points in their school life will 2. What is the last film you have begun to notice the difference, as the new curriculum and watched and a two word review? qualifications bed down and Ministers raise expectations on schools. Milk - powerful; thought- But it has been the rise of the ‘system leader’ that has been so provoking noticeable in this period…teachers, head-teachers and whole schools 3. What books would be found on prepared to step up and support each other to improve; a great sign of your bookshelf? I've a particular a mature profession taking responsibility for its own development. fondness for historical novels and Joining the Civil Service has been a great experience for other reasons dystopian futures. I've never yet too. Over the last twenty years I’ve had the opportunity to do some of read one of the political biographies people seem to be so the most interesting, challenging and varied roles imaginable. I was fond of giving me! private secretary to John Prescott for a couple of years, I’ve worked in Europe, I’ve run major programmes and I’ve held operational and 4. Who would play you in a movie corporate as well as policy roles. At the same time I’ve had three of your life? Gwyneth Paltrow for children and worked every conceivable working pattern. For me the the early part (got to set your sights high!) and Meryl Streep for Civil Service has been a brilliant employer and I want to make sure that I the later bit…what a woman. am giving other people the same opportunities that I have benefitted from. 5. Who would be your 5 ideal dinner party guests? Billy DfE is really committed to ensuring that we help every member of staff Connelly, Kevin Spacey, Billy Joel, make the most of every ounce of potential…whether that’s through our Will Self, and Christine Lagarde direct action on equality and diversity, targeted talent programmes, (to help me bring some sense to coaching and mentoring or our approach to encouraging different forms the proceedings…although I bet of flexible working. We’re by no means perfect but we’ve got real she could still do some mean ambition to be the best, and it’s great to be part of that! karaoke!) e-mail The Network with any thoughts or suggestions! Page 4 My Day at CS Live: Manchester Civil Service Live is an annual conference for the civil service and is classed as a learning event, The Network’s Jen Frankish went along and tells us about her day The key themes at this year’s event were; people and leadership, a skilled civil service , innovation and the new UK Government.