The Cumbria Education Trust Board Directors delegate to the Local Advisory Board (LAB) members its responsibility and powers as the Governing Body of the school. These responsibilities are discharged by the LAB members in accordance with its constitution, any Cumbria Education Trust Policies and advice from the Department for Education (DFE) and Ofsted.

View the Trust Board membership here: http://www.cumbriaeducationtrust.org/about-us/leadership/

The Northside Primary School LAB is crucial to helping the school to raise standards.

Some of the roles of the LAB are to:

  • provide the information required by the Trust and not to withhold any information which the Trust reasonably requires;
  • refer certain decisions to the Trust for approval as set out in the Scheme of Delegation;
  • report to the Trust Board Directors on the outcomes and progress within a one-week period of each meeting;
  • act in accordance with the LAB Protocols.

If you have any queries for the LAB or would like to contact the Chair, please email Emma Graham, Clerk to the LAB, at egraham@whitehavenacademy.org.uk or telephone 016977 45300.

Composition of Local Advisory Board (LAB) members:

Type of member Number Term of office Elected by who
CEO 1 Indefinite N/A – by appointment as CEO
Headteacher 1 Indefinite Appointment as Headteacher by CEO/Trust Board
Sponsor Board member (including Chair and Vice Chair) Max 7 4 years By the Cumbria Education Trust Board resolution
Parent Board member 2 3 years Seconded parent volunteer -applications to be considered by Cumbria Education Trust Board Directors.*

*If there are more than 2 applications, an election will take place with all parents eligible to vote
Staff Board member 1 3 years Staff election**

** If only one member of staff is nominated they are automatically elected

Lorrayne Hughes – Chief Executive

Lorrayne is the Chief Executive of Cumbria Education Trust, the county’s largest multi-academy school trust.

Lorrayne took up her first Headship at William Howard School in Brampton in 2007 and in 2014 was commissioned by the Local Authority to bring about rapid improvement in two special measures schools in Workington. One of the schools was removed from Special Measures within 20 weeks.

She has led CET since inception to its current position where it is responsible for the education of more than 4,000 children across three secondary schools, eight primaries and West Coast Sixth Form.

Lorrayne passionately believes in inclusion and that all young people deserve a high-quality education. Children are firmly at the heart of all her strategic decision-making.
All schools work closely together following Lorrayne’s lead that collaboration can make a difference to all involved, from pupils and students to staff and their communities.

Lorrayne is a board member of the Confederation of School Trusts, the sector body for school trusts.

Michael Donnelly – Lead Director

Michael is an internationally experienced HR executive who has delivered on challenging assignments and led people and change across every continent across the globe. Having started his working life in the north west with United Utilities, he has worked around the world and also lived in the USA and the Middle East, as a senior leader in organisations including Avaya, Bass, BBC, Convergys and Serco.
Michael has been an invited speaker and presented at HR leadership events in Brussels, New York, San Diego and Singapore.
As a Chartered Fellow of CIPD, Michael now brings his experience and skills as a Non Executive Director and HR consultant in support of small enterprises and educational Trusts, including Stramongate and Penny Bridge Academies in Cumbria.
He is married to Angela and their growing family live in Cumbria, Hampshire and Scotland and he loves to spend time with them all. Michael likes to travel, keep fit and loves his music and sport. He is a drummer by trade and a Liverpool FC season ticket holder by birth!

Cate Floyd – Executive Principal

After 12 years in education, working across the country in a variety of settings and alongside national bodies such as the North North West Maths Hub, Cate moved from Accrington to join the CET leadership team to take on her first headship at Longtown Primary School in 2017. She believes that all children are entitled to the very best education and working within a school improvement model to develop and sustain change, change that is for the better and not just reactive, is important to her.

After successfully securing their first Good judgment at Longtown, she have moved into her second headship within the Trust, at Yanwath Primary School ensuring that they, as a leadership team, continue to provide a sustainable school improvement model where children and staffs mental health and wellbeing are at the heart of all decisions being made.

Vicky McDowell – Headteacher

Vicky’s teaching career began in a primary school near London over twenty years ago and, since then, she has worked in the South and North of England in various teaching and leadership roles. She was also appointed as the first Vice Chair of the Chartered College of Teaching, a national organization created to develop professional standards for teachers. Most recently, she has served as Regional Headteacher of schools in the independent sector across the North-West.
As a parent herself, Vicky is passionate about creating a collaborative working environment where children can grow, develop their self-esteem and the skills fundamental to their education.

Mark Bedford – Headteacher at Workington Academy

Mark has been the Deputy Headteacher of Workington Academy since 2015, prior to this he worked as a middle and senior leader at William Howard School. He is an experienced Science teacher and has worked in schools in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Cumbria.

Mark has significant experience in post 16 education, built up over 25 years working in leadership roles in a variety of Sixth Forms.

Gill George – LAB member

Gill used to teach full-time in a large infant school, most of the time in Early Years, and she loves working with children. Gill has three children and six grandchildren who do not live in the area, so is always interested to see their schools or settings when she visits them.

Gill has been privileged to be a member of the Governing Body at Northside and looks forward to continuing her association with the school as a member of the Local Advisory Board.  Having been invited to join the team at Northside a few years ago, she enjoyed getting to know so many delightful people, both adults and children, in this wonderful small school at the heart of their community. The children are keen to learn, have excellent manners and are very creative. It is amazing to see the progress so many of them make, along with the pride in their achievements. It is Gill’s firm belief that if we get all the social, emotional, communication and physical skills embedded in the early years of a child’s life, then everything else will follow.

Gill’s hobbies include walking, cycling and dancing: she loves to be outdoors.  Gill has also volunteered at her local arts centre for 25 years and has met a huge variety of really interesting people with diverse skills. Now that she have more time she would like to learn a new skill – but  always seems to be busy!

David Penhallurick – LAB member (subject to DBS clearance)

Mary-Ann Lancaster – LAB member – Vice Chair

LAB members in the previous 12 months:

  • Amy Bostock – 03/08/2023

  • Beth Dixon – 20/06/2023

Should you require any meeting minutes from previous years, please do not hesitate to contact Emma Graham, Clerk to the LAB, at egraham@whitehavenacademy.org.uk.