CET News

Celebrating our successes

CET News

You will find all of CET’s latest news stories below.

Want to read our newsletter?

Visit our newsletter page, by clicking on the button below.

KSGS Joins CET

2nd December 2024

Joint statement from Kirkby Stephen Grammar School and Cumbria Education Trust Cumbria Education Trust (CET) is thrilled to announce its official partnership with Kirkby Stephen Grammar School (KSGS). This exciting development marks a new chapter for KSGS, with a focus on enhancing student outcomes, investing in staff development, and expanding resources for the entire school community. This transition also signals the start of a new Southern Hub for CET, which will consist of a network of schools within Westmorland and Furness Council. KSGS is the first of four schools set to join CET this academic year. By expanding into southern Cumbria, CET aims to further its vision of providing an inspiring and enriching education for all young people across the

Anti-Bullying Week 2024

21st November 2024

Safeguarding Update from CET’s Head of Safeguarding, Gill Creighton “Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see” – Mark Twain. Imagine a world where respect and kindness thrive – it’s not just a dream, it’s in the choices we make. Anti-Bullying week (11th to 15th November) and World Kindness Day (13th November) were celebrated in all CET schools. Random acts of kindness were carried out and a range of activities and adventures were enjoyed by all. The aim was to empower children and young people to be kind and not to resort to bullying, even when they disagree and to remind adults to lead by example, online and offline.

CC Totally Rock in National Times Tables Competition

15th November 2024

The pupils and staff at Castle Carrock Primary School (CC), part of Cumbria Education Trust, are celebrating a fantastic achievement after securing third place in England Rocks – a national times tables competition organised by the internationally renowned, award-winning app and learning platform, Times Tables Rock Stars (TTRS). Over 4,543 schools across England participated in the competition, which challenged children to correctly answer as many multiplication and division questions as possible, giving their class and school a chance to top the leaderboard. The competition was fierce, with an incredible 201,618,322 questions answered collectively by 384,658 pupils! CC delivered outstanding results—on average, pupils answered 5,808 questions correctly each, with the top-performing pupil answering an astonishing 13,036 questions correctly. What an incredible

Caldew Lea Primary School Welcome Julie Minns

14th November 2024

Caldew Lea Primary School were delighted to welcome our local MP Julie Minns on Friday 8th November, to talk to the Key Stage 2 children about becoming an MP and her experience of growing up in Carlisle. The children really enjoyed a Q&A session with Julie and asked some brilliant questions. Julie explained about how the voting system works in the House of Commons and talked about what the day-to-day aspects of her job involve, both in London and in Carlisle. The children were really keen to talk about how democracy works, both in the Houses of Parliament and in their school; two of the Year 6 pupils, Ama and Riley, spoke about how Year 6 run weekly ‘pupil voice’

CET Christmas Card Competition 2024

13th November 2024

All students across CET are invited to submit designs for our Annual CET Christmas Card competition. We would like the card to showcase CET’s values – Respect, Responsibility, Resilience – as well as reflecting on key events and achievements from across the year, truly embodying the meaning of Christmas. How to enter: Design your card on a piece of A4 paper using any textiles Take a photo of your design Email it to card@cumbriaeducationtrust.org. ⏰ Please submit your design by Friday 6th December 2024 The winning design will be printed into CET’s official Christmas card! There will be two winners: one primary entry and one secondary entry. There are also prizes available. Good luck!

CET Inclusive Sports Event

29th October 2024

On 21st October, all Cumbria Education Trust (CET) secondary schools gathered to compete in the inaugural CET Inclusive Sports Event, hosted by William Howard School (WHS). Tracey Croucher, Inclusion Lead at WHS, along with Debbie Davies from Panathlon facilitated the event, bringing the Panathlon Xtend Multi-Sports activities and training a group of WHS Year 9 Sports Leaders to manage each of the eight stations. Seven teams participated in total: two from The Whitehaven Academy, two from Workington Academy, and three from William Howard School. For several hours, students rotated through the various activities, accumulating points for their teams under the guidance of the Sports Leaders. The atmosphere was filled with excitement and encouragement as students cheered one another on. All

Our Schools Shine in the Cash For Kids Sports Challenge

23rd October 2024

This year, four of our primary schools – Caldew Lea Primary School, Newtown Primary School, Petteril Bank School, and Yewdale Primary School – enthusiastically participated in the Cash For Kids Sports Challenge. The challenge, which runs across Cumbria for a month in September and October, encourages schools to raise as much money as possible. Schools not only keep all the funds they collect but also compete for additional cash prizes. The top fundraising school wins £5,000, with second and third place receiving £2,500 and £1,500, respectively. Our schools went all out, coming up with brilliant and innovative ideas! They had initiatives such as Break The Rules day, Wear Odd Shoes day, 1001 miles in one day sponsored walks and the

Three Staff Members Win Golden Apple Award

22nd October 2024

Celebrating Excellence in Education At Cumbria Education Trust (CET), we continuously strive for educational excellence, and we could not be prouder to see our staff’s hard work and dedication recognised at the latest Golden Apple Awards. This annual award ceremony, in which CET is a proud sponsor, is to celebrate outstanding educators and staff who have gone above and beyond in their roles, significantly impacting students and colleagues alike. We are thrilled to announce that three exceptional members of our community have been honoured with this year’s Golden Apple Awards. 1. Nigel Youngman – Best Education and Learning Leader Nigel Youngman is the Headteacher at The Whitehaven Academy (TWA) and has been instrumental in the significant school improvement journey that

Join Us for an Unmissable Professional Development Opportunity!

4th October 2024

Building on the insights shared by Steve Farndon at Shaping Our Future, Cumbria Education Trust, in collaboration with Ambition Institute, is excited to offer two exclusive teacher-educator events designed to elevate the quality of professional development across Cumbrian schools. Led by Steve Farndon, Instructional Coach and Associate Director at Ambition Institute, these sessions will provide practical tools and strategies for educators to collaborate, learn, and drive real change within their schools. Save the Dates – we encourage you to attend both: 24th October 2024 – 2pm to 5pm 1st May 2025 – 2pm to 5pm Annie Mawson’s Sunbeams Music Trust, Penrith SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE! We’re thrilled to announce that Dr. Sam Sims, author of the EEF Professional Development guide, will

Shaping Our Future 2024

26th September 2024

Cumbria Education Trust (CET) held its second Shaping Our Future conference, which brought together educational leaders, local authorities and industry experts on Thursday 19th September 2024 to explore the intricacies of the educational landscape as it stands. Held at The Halston, Carlisle, the event featured a series of high-profile keynote speakers and a panel discussion that addressed critical issues we face as an sector, forward thinking ideas and thought-provoking insights into how we can shape tomorrow’s world for our young people. The conference provided an opportunity for over 170 attendees to collaborate, share knowledge and discuss strategies – an ideal setting to network and make connections across Cumbria. As the attendees started arriving at the conference, Workington Academy Theatre group