Author: Abi Scott

The Good Shepherd Trust are very proud to share that Wreay C of E Primary School have taken part in an OPAL video for Cumbria to celebrate their 10 Year Celebration. Wreay were one of two schools chosen to feature in this video!

Stella Astell (Head Teacher) told us:

“We were contacted by our OPAL Play Mentor on behalf of OPAL East and asked if we would be one of three schools to be featured in their OPAL Cumbria video and to have some clips incorporated into their OPAL East 10 Year celebration video. We ended up being only one of two schools featured in the video, which was quite an honour. Our children thoroughly enjoyed the day of filming too, which just so happened to be a wet winter’s day but being an OPAL Play school a little bit of rain doesn’t stop our children from enjoying a fantastic playtime – every day”.

Watch the video here:

https://next.frame.io/share/bbd98b39-c060-49e4-bf1b-312b3a659185/view/78b8c4a7-ccec-4690-acec-04066a9d1b41

On Thursday 26th March, we were delighted to host an impactful Trust Leaders Conference, bringing together leaders from across our Trust to focus on key priorities shaping education today: School improvement, Effective use of data, and SEND/Inclusion.

The event provided a valuable space for collaboration, reflection, and forward-thinking discussion. Leaders engaged in insightful sessions exploring how data strategies can drive sustainable improvement, alongside practical approaches to strengthening inclusive practice across schools.

A highlight of the day was our Inclusion workshop, which received particularly positive feedback. Trust leaders shared how useful it was to explore strategies and deepen their understanding of inclusive provision. Hearing an Ofsted perspective directly from headteacher added further depth, offering practical insights into inspection expectations and how schools can confidently prepare.

💬 “I really appreciated hearing another headteachers experience of Ofsted and all of the ‘Top Tips'”

💬”Really helpful guidance and paperwork to implement and reflect on”

The conference also created meaningful opportunities for networking and professional dialogue, allowing leaders to share experiences, challenges, and successes in a supportive environment.

Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to such a positive and collaborative day. We look forward to continuing this important work together.

What a truly busy and inspiring term it has been across our schools! From magical learning experiences in the classroom to a wide range of exciting activities and events, our pupils and staff have embraced every opportunity with enthusiasm and dedication.

This term has been filled with memorable moments, including taking part in Young Voices, celebrating Red Nose Day, diving into the joy of reading for World Book Day, and coming together for meaningful Easter services. Each event has brought our school communities closer together and created lasting memories for our children.

We are incredibly proud of the many achievements across our schools. From earning prestigious Gold OPAL awards, to outstanding fundraising efforts, to representing us brilliantly in U-Dance competitions – our pupils continue to shine in so many ways.

None of this would be possible without the hard work, commitment, and passion of our staff and pupils. Together, they make our community such a special place to learn and grow.

As we reach the end of term, we celebrate everything that has been accomplished and look forward with excitement to what lies ahead. We are so proud of our wonderful Good Shepherd Trust family.

A Busy and Inspiring Half Term Across Our Schools

As we reach the end of another busy half term, we are proud to celebrate the incredible work taking place across our 12 schools. It has been a vibrant and inspiring few weeks, filled with creativity, collaboration, and community spirit.

We are especially grateful to our schools for continuing to share their stories and successes. From Happiness Heroes initiatives supporting wellbeing, to Parent Phonics Sessions and Reading Cafés strengthening home–school partnerships, it has been wonderful to see learning brought to life in so many ways. Pupils have also enjoyed exciting experiences such as Monster Mayhem Writing Competition, alongside one of our schools achieving the OPAL awards, recognising excellence in outdoor play and learning.

Beyond the classroom, our schools have been buzzing with events that bring communities together. Teddy bear sleepovers, glow raves, and family quiz nights have created memorable moments for pupils and families alike. Our schools have also been proud to attend wider opportunities such as Young Voices, where pupils showcased their talents on a much larger stage.

This week, we are also celebrating Children’s Mental Health Week, with schools taking part in activities and discussions that promote positive wellbeing, resilience, and emotional health for all our children.

Thank you to our pupils, staff, families, and school communities for your energy, enthusiasm, and continued support. We look forward to sharing even more stories as we head into the next half term.

Kirkland Primary School is sharing that their team of Happiness Heroes has grown!

What are Happiness Heroes?

My Happy Mind Happiness Heroes are pupil ambassadors whose role is to promote positive mental health and wellbeing, acting as peer supporters to foster a happy, resilient, and inclusive environment. They work alongside the NHS-backed My Happy Mind programme to support the five core modules and are responsible for organising activities and promoting kindness.

Children are selected for showing love and kindness consistently, as well as their positive outlooks and caring natures.

Some quotes from the Happiness Heroes:

‘I really like helping others and being able make a difference to how someone feels’

‘I feel proud to be a Happiness Hero and I love helping others.’

What does being a Happiness Hero involve? 

In terms of what they have going on at the moment, they are delivering a My Happy Mind family engagement session in March and they are running a ‘Happy Hub’ each Monday afternoon to do activities like mindful colouring, playing games or just having a chat.

Please find the details of the event here:

Monster Mayhem- Young Writers Competition

Before Christmas, three children from Gilsland entered a Young Writers competition where they designed and described their very own monsters. The winning entries were given the chance to be published in a book called Monster Mayhem.

Gilsland school shared with us that three talented KS1 girls were selected, and the publishers would love to include their amazing work in the book! Children who are selected, enter a further competition with the chance to win £1,000 for school.

Meet the monsters (Rainbow Star, Blaster Man and Runner Clown) below:

Parent Phonic Session and Reading Café

At Ellenborough Academy, Acting Headteacher- Michelle Dover, shared how the school is championing reading for pleasure through a range of exciting initiatives. A recent Parent Phonics Session and Reading Café was a real success, bringing families together to support reading at home.

Here is what Michelle had to say about the day:

“We are raising the profile of reading in school both the teaching of and also reading for pleasure. We wanted to share the Read Write inc teaching approaches, so that parents feel confident in supporting their child to read at home. Parents were invited into school to take part in phonics sessions with their children. They were then taught how to read the storybooks with their child leading this in paired practice. Following on from this, we ended the afternoon with a cuppa and biscuit reading books for pleasure in the hall”.