Author: Abi Scott

We are delighted to announce that Kirkland Academy has been awarded the prestigious Gold School Games Mark in recognition of their continued commitment to making sport and physical activity an integral part of school life for every child. The school received a letter from Josh MacAlister, the Labour MP for Whitehaven and Workington, to congratulate them on this achievement!

The School Games Mark is a national award that celebrates schools for their dedication to developing competitive sport, promoting healthy lifestyles, and ensuring that all pupils have opportunities to be active and engaged.

Achieving the Gold award reflects the wide range of opportunities the school provides for their pupils throughout the year. Kirkland are proud to offer a variety of sports clubs that encourage children to try new activities, build confidence, and develop teamwork skills. Alongside this, specialist sports coaches work with the pupils and staff to broaden the sporting experiences available while also providing valuable continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers.

To further encourage physical activity, pupils have enjoyed using Moki bands to track and celebrate their movement and activity levels. Inclusivity remains at the heart of the sporting provision, ensuring that every child has the opportunity to participate, achieve, and enjoy being active regardless of ability or experience.

The pupils at Kirkland have also represented the school in a number of inter-school sporting events, including netball, cross-country, and football competitions. These events not only develop sporting skills but also foster resilience, teamwork, and school pride.

Daily runs have become a valued part of school life, helping children to improve fitness, focus, and wellbeing. In addition, the annual Wellness Week has provided pupils with opportunities to learn about the importance of physical and mental wellbeing through a variety of engaging activities.

We are incredibly proud of this achievement and would like to thank our pupils, staff, families, and wider school community at Kirkland for their ongoing support in promoting healthy, active lifestyles. We look forward to continuing to build on this success and providing even more opportunities for our children to thrive through sport and physical activity.

To read the letter from Josh MacAlister, click the link below:

Letter from Labour MP

We are delighted to welcome All Saints CE Primary School, Cockermouth to the Good Shepherd Trust family.

Introducing Ashley

Ashley has been teaching for 13 years across KS1, lower KS2 and year 6. He joined All Saints in 2022 as Deputy Head, and in September 2025 took on the role of Acting Headteacher.

Ashley is still very much involved in the classroom, offering PPA cover for years 5 and 6 twice a week. This is important, as the school has recently undergone a period of notable change. Retaining a teaching role has allowed Ashley to remain in touch with the implications of those changes for teaching staff.

Ashley revealed his favourite aspect of teaching; “The Eureka moments, particular for those children who find certain aspects of the curriculum difficult. That moment when it all becomes clear and clicks into place, and seeing how much joy that brings is wonderful to witness.”

A happy and caring school

When asked what makes All Saints special, Ashley had a lot to share.

“We are a happy and caring school with a strong family ethos. We have a close team of staff – without exception, everyone is very supportive of one another. Two new staff have joined us this year, and very soon commented on the group dynamic being extremely supportive and collaborative.”

“This strong culture of support has helped staff to be resilient and embracing of change. A lot has changed since January 2025, and I am proud of how the staff have managed this.”

“Equally, our children show a lot of care and support for their peers. There is a strong awareness and appreciation for differences among the children. They really look after each other in the playground.”

“We feel support from our families as well, who are strong advocates for the school. Any surveys we conduct always return extremely positive feedback from the families of our children.”

Celebrating differences

Inclusion is a priority for All Saints, and an area where the school particularly excels. The school caters well for a range of experiences and needs, with a dedicated resource provision for Autism.

Ashley observes, “We celebrate a wide variety of achievements at All Saints, as we recognise that we all excel at different things. Everyone deserves to know what they’re doing well.”

Social and emotional needs of the children are prioritised. Ashley comments, “The children need a strong social and emotional foundation, so that they feel ready and able to learn.”

The school offers ELSA provision, benefitting from three members of staff who have completed the ELSA specific training. In addition to this, all staff receive training around different needs, giving them a good awareness of how they can support children with a broad variety of challenges.

Working closely with external agencies such as Barnardos further enriches the whole school’s ability to celebrate differences and support one another. Initiatives such as whole class decider skills sessions help children to learn about making good choices within their friendships, for example.

Strong community ties

All Saints school sits firmly at the heart of its local community.

They work closely with their local church, and regularly go on visits within the community, such as carol singing and Lent lunches at a nearby care home. The school also invites visits from organisations such as the police to provide education and discussion around local issues.

Beyond the immediate local community, the school’s curriculum is enriched with other valuable experiences, taking advantage of its Lake District location with activities such as sports clubs, an annual kayaking trip, fell walks and bike riding days. Further afield, children enjoy opportunities to experience trips such as visiting Parliament, and even residential trips to learn about different cities.

Joining the Good Shepherd Trust

“We are excited to officially welcome All Saints to the trust this month, and we look forward to working together on our common goals, as well as seeing All Saints become a vital and valuable part of our collaborative community of schools. Behind the scenes, a lot of preparation has gone into ensuring a smooth transition into the trust for All Saints, and the foundations for a strong relationship have already been built.”

Claire Render MBE (CEO)

Ashley adds, “A good relationship with the trust developed quickly. From September, initial conversations felt very positive about moving into the trust. There was an understandable amount of trepidation from families and staff. However, early on, meetings were held with staff and parents, which were very reassuring about what the move would look like.”

“Our school’s core values strongly aligned with those of the GST, with a shared emphasis on what is important – such as development of the whole child, celebrating all achievements, Christian values, and inclusion. The practice of our values will only become stronger being part of a wider community of church schools.”

“I am looking forward to more opportunities to collaborate with other schools within the trust. Sharing expertise, particularly on the theme of school improvement, will help us to build on the progress we have already made.”

“Collaborating with like-minded schools facing similar challenges and using the same resources will really benefit us.”

“We have already attended two conferences (CUSP and Early Years), coming away with valuable information and useful ideas, as well as starting to build networks. So we very much look forward to experiencing more of what the trust has to offer.”

A bright future

Looking ahead to the next 3-5 years for All Saints, Ashley commented, “There is a lot we do really well. In next 3-5 years I would like to see further work around curriculum development.  Our focus will be on working with children to achieve their key milestones and help all to reach their full potential.”

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: