In an exciting display of inspiration, Year 9 girls from The Whitehaven Academy (TWA), William Howard School (WHS) and Workington Academy (WA), alongside representatives from 12 other schools, came together on Thursday 29th February, for Cumbria’s inaugural Girls Empower event. Organized by IN4, this initiative aimed to ignite a passion for computing careers among young women. The event was a fantastic opportunity for the girls to explore a career in technology. They eagerly embraced a variety of challenges, ranging from deciphering cryptic codes to embarking on simulated cyber heists, all designed to test their problem-solving skills and technical prowess. One of the highlights of the day was the ‘Patient 0’ challenge, where the girls scoured the internet for clues in

Several Cumbria Education Trust (CET) schools have been awarded a National Attendance Award by FFT for good attendance in the Autumn Term. FFT collects daily attendance data from over 10,000 schools. This data helps schools track, monitor and compare their attendance every week. The awards have been given to schools with attendance in the top 10% and top 25% of all FFT schools nationally for the 2023/24 Autumn Term. It also awards the top 10% and top 25% attendance certificates to schools in similar circumstances (based on the percentage of Free School Meals). Congratulations to the following schools for their incredible attendance: Castle Carrock Primary School Top 10% of all primary schools Top 10% of similar primary schools Caldew Lea

On Wednesday 6th February, all of our primary schools took part in Safer Internet Day, an annual event that helps children and young people understand the risks associated with using the internet and how to avoid harm. The internet has been associated with a rise in poor mental health amongst young people, including those still in primary school, which is why our primary school focus was online safety. CET has also been accepted as a supporter of the prestigious UK Safer Internet Centre. Gill Creighton, CET Safeguarding Manager, said ‘Young people are always online, both inside and outside of school. The internet can help us to socialise, work and learn in a convenient, easily accessible way. However, the dangers of

Lorrayne Hughes, Chief Executive of Cumbria Education Trust (CET), recently engaged in an exclusive interview with Tes, shedding light on her proudest career moments, imparting crucial leadership lessons for Trust chiefs, and passionately advocating for the prioritisation of efforts to reduce child poverty. You can read the full candid discussion here: www.tes.com/magazine/leadership/staff-management/lorrayne-hughes-cumbria-education-academy-trusts-schools