Before welcoming all of our pupils back to school today, staff from all 13 of our schools, along with the CET Central Services Team, came together yesterday for an engaging and informative INSET day. Spread across four of our schools, our staff partook in a series of sessions, specifically tailored to each group. From teaching staff, learning provision, HR, Finance, IT and much more, each session was designed to start collaborative discussions and share best practices, all to benefit our young people.

Our secondary schools each attended their own school. At Workington Academy (WA), Lorrayne Hughes, Chief Executive, welcomed the teaching staff before they split into subject-specific groups. The Whitehaven Academy (TWA) and William Howard School (WHS) followed the same timetable, with Des Bird, Director of Secondary Improvement, welcoming TWA staff and Sue Newstead, Director of Learning Provision, welcoming WHS staff.

Secondary school teachers and teaching assistants (TAs) spent valuable time together in their departments, discussing ways to create the best outcomes for their students. These sessions were followed by each department across all three schools collaborating and sharing ideas, via Microsoft Teams. The afternoon sessions were designed around school-specific sessions, including the benefits and techniques of live marking, data-driven instruction and literacy.

Our primary school TAs came together at Yewdale Primary School to explore how we support every pupil to become a successful reader. The day was led by Tom Martell, Director of Strategic School Improvement, and Lisa Bland, School Improvement Lead for Reading. Colleagues from the University of Cumbria also led a workshop and are supporting the Trust to evaluate the impact of the work. Colleagues spent time looking at the science of reading and diagnostic assessments, before considering how to maximise the impact of reading interventions. The day allowed rich opportunities for collaboration between staff.

At WHS, primary school teachers, support staff and learning provision staff were welcomed by Matt Butler, Director of Primary Improvement and Professional Development. Primary school teachers were split into Early Years Foundation Stage, Year 1 to 5 and Year 6 and they worked on a plethora of topics, from the curriculum, SATs, physical development and mastering numbers. Support staff had varied sessions including CET culture, great employer discussions, data services and IT hints and tips. Our learning provision staff enjoyed a speed-dating style session, where they had three minutes to share best practices within their pairing, before moving on to the next partner – great fun! They also looked at behaviour, wellbeing and other strategies.

Andy Williamson, Teacher of IT, Computing and Media, commented, “It was nice to share subject knowledge with our colleagues from the other secondary schools in the Trust.”

It was a great day of professional development across all of our schools, full of insightful conversations and useful information, as we continue to create excellence together.