Cumbria Education Trust (CET) proudly welcomed senior Victorian and Tasmanian educational leaders for a knowledge-sharing visit focused on the operation and impact of groups of schools working together as a Trust.
The Australian delegation came to learn from CET’s successful model and discover how a strong trust structure benefits both staff and children. The group was led by The Hon Jo Palmer MLC who is the education minister for Tasmania. The visitors also included senior officials from the Department for Education and staff from the Susan McKinnon Foundation and the Grattan Institute.
The visit began at the North Lakes Hotel, with a welcome from Lorrayne Hughes OBE, CET Chief Executive and Matt Hood OBE, CET Trustee. They introduced CET and provided a history, with a focus on its Cumbria location, the trust’s growth to over the past decade,and the challenges and successes CET has encountered in improving schools in rural areas.
Tom Martell, CET Director of Strategy and Operations, commented on the visit, “We are always keen to share insights that benefits others and, in turn, learn from others. We think this is a key part of our civic duty. Put simply, we want to be useful to other schools”.
The visit included time for candid discussions with staff from across the Trust and visits to three CET schools to see key ideas in action. First, the delegation visited Yanwath Primary School, welcomed by Headteacher Sarah Davies, where the delegation saw how joining the Trust has led to improvements and how the school is now benefiting other schools in the Trust. They were impressed by the rigorous focus on strengthening teaching and learning by investing in one-to-one coaching for teaching staff.
Next, the group then visited William Howard School (WHS), where Kath Pigdon, Headteacher, and Des Bird, CET Director of Secondary Improvement, provided a tour of the school and hosted lunch. The conversation highlighted the challenges and successes of being a large rural secondary school with a broad catchment area, and how WHS was the initial high-performing school from which CET was established.
Finally, the delegates visited Castle Carrock Primary School to see how Trusts can support small schools to thrive. The Trust Services team, such as IT and HR, allows school leaders to focus on what is happening in the classroom. Headteacher, Sarah Lee, also explained how the Trust had added resilience to the small school.
A recurring theme in the discussion centred on the benefits of a single governance structure. Specifically, that it allows deeper collaboration between schools than more informal structures. The group discussed the potential to allow leaders to focus on teaching and learning while benefiting from centralised support in areas such as finance, staff development, and curriculum expertise.
Lorrayne Hughes reflected on the visit, commenting, “We were delighted to host the delegation and welcome our guests. It was a fantastic opportunity to share how an effective trust can not only drive standards but also create a supportive, family-like culture across our schools. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded international leaders.”
Key attendees:
- The Hon Jo Palmer MLC – Education Minister (Tasmania)
- Ms Carole Rodgers – Chief of Staff, Office of the Hon Jo Palmer MLC (Tasmania)
- Ms Jodee Wilson – Deputy Secretary for Development and Support (Tasmania)
- Ms Trudy Pearce – Deputy Secretary for Schools and Early Years (Tasmania)
- Ms Sam Mellett – Director, Susan McKinnon Foundation
- Ms Jordana Hunter – Director of Education Program, Grattan Institute
- Ms Amy Haywood – Deputy Director of Education Program, Grattan Institute
- Ms Clare Colaneri – Senior Events Producer, Susan McKinnon Foundation
