[T]HE DfE has announced that the preferred sponsor for The Whitehaven Academy is Cumbria Education Trust.
Speaking about the letter to parents from The Whitehaven Academy’s Headteacher Warren Turner, Lorrayne Hughes, CEO of Cumbria Education Trust (CET), said: “We are excited to have been selected by the DfE as preferred sponsor of the Whitehaven Academy, but it is early days and there are many issues to review before the CET board of trustees can reach any firm decision about taking up this opportunity.
“We have begun the due diligence process and we are undertaking risk assessments which will examine a range of operational matters including current and future capital and revenue funding.
“We will also be holding stakeholder and student consultations over the next few weeks so that we can more clearly understand some of the issues that have led to the re-brokering of the academy and the task that lies ahead for a new sponsor.
“The adoption of a collaborative approach with key West Cumbria stakeholders lay at the heart of our proposals to the DfE, and we are delighted with the extent of their willingness to collaborate and play a vital role going forward. Drawing on the expertise of key partners including West Lakes Teaching School Alliance, Western Lakes Teaching Alliance and the Local Authority, will be essential to us if we are to turn around the fortunes of the academy and give Whitehaven students the education they so richly deserve. We are also committed to working closely with Bright Tribe, the outgoing sponsor, during this interim period.
“We will need to feel certain at the end of the due diligence process that we have both the resources and capacity to do the job successfully as well as assurances from the DfE and other stakeholders that they will fully support us.
“Children and young people are firmly at the heart of CET’s decision making. Our motto is to ‘be the best you can be’. We are aspirational for all our students and want only the very best for them, which is why the CET Board of Trustees must feel confident that the highest quality of teaching and learning can be delivered at the Whitehaven Academy.”
Cliff Lewis, Vice Chair of the Trust Board of Directors, added: “CET is well known for its strong leadership and for operating its schools with sound financial controls, always putting children at the heart of our decision making. We have demonstrated this in other schools we are running in Cumbria. We are hoping for a successful due diligence outcome so that we can pass the resolution to become the Whitehaven Academy’s new sponsor. Then we can begin to set the academy on course for a bright new future and improve the life chances of Whitehaven children and the wider community.”
Cumbria Education Trust (CET) operates six academies in Cumbria, making it the largest multi academy trust in the region. All its academies have improved since conversion – some significantly so – making CET the ideal sponsor, because it can demonstrate that it has the expertise and capacity to secure and accelerate progress in Special Measures schools.
