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 Castle Carrock 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 Leanne Coats, Clerk to the LAB, at lcoats@cumbriaeducationtrust.org 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

Barbara Hindley, Chair of LAB

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.

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.

Anna Carroll – Headteacher

Anna relocated from Suffolk to attend University in Carlisle. After falling in love with the beautiful countryside she decided to stay and began her career in Haltwhistle. Anna then worked at Yewdale Primary School prior to it joining CET and has since progressed in her career with a Deputy Head role at Caldew Lea and presently as Headteacher at Castle Carrock. Anna passionately believes in providing a broad and balanced education, which recognises and celebrates the talents of each child enabling them to grow in confidence, develop a sense of responsibility and achieve their full potential. Whilst not at work, Anna enjoys spending time with her three young children.

Kath Pigdon – Headteacher at William Howard School

Having moved from South Wales for her first job as a PE teacher at St Aidan’s in Carlisle, Kath continues to enjoy the challenges and rewards of living and working in Cumbria.

Kath counts herself lucky to have started her career in a designated sports college where opportunities to develop as a young PE teacher were a plenty. Moving through the ranks as 2nd in charge of PE to a Director of Specialism gave Kath the opportunity to experience the power of sport and PE across the whole school. This whole school leadership role enabled Kath to progress further as an Assistant Headteacher at William Howard School. Enjoying the experience of senior leadership Kath soon progressed to Deputy Headteacher and latterly due to unforeseen circumstances Head of School.

Kath fully believes in the Cumbria Education Trusts vision and values of Be the Best you can Be and works hard to instil this in staff, students and her own 2 boys. Although Kath has over a decade of experience of Senior Leadership and has completed her NPQH she believes her most valuable lessons in leadership and life have come from competing at the highest level in her sport of canoe slalom.

Richard Berry – Lead Director

Richard was born, brought up and went to school in rural Oxfordshire before joining the British Army at 16 as a soldier, specialising in Payroll before qualifying as a Chartered Management Accountant, specialising in project accounting and Business Case financial modelling.

Following a successful 30-year career in the Forces, serving all over Europe and beyond, he and his wife Janet moved to Cumbria from the North East, where they still live.

Since retiring from the Army, Richard worked for an international IT company as the European Middle East & Africa Lean Transformation Finance lead for over 3 years before taking the plunge and setting up his own company some 7 years ago.

This has enabled him to gain experience contracting for various industries from perfume distributors to cruise ships to energy providers to Central Government departments. His current contract is working in the nuclear industry involved with transformation and benefits realisation.

Richard is a volunteer for the Alston Moor Business Association, where he is currently deputy chair. The aim of AMBA is to promote Alston Moor and its surrounding areas on business & tourism related matters to attract visitors as well as strengthening & improving the local economy.

Richard & Janet have two grown up sons, who both live in the Northeast with their partners, and a Grandson.

Sally Fryer – LAB member

Sally Fryer has lived in Castle Carrock for the last 6 years and both her children attend the school. She is an artist and printmaker and also works locally as a gardener. Sally is a member of the village carnival committee and the school PTA..

Ruth Drew, LAB member

Ruth relocated to the lovely village of Castle Carrock in 2018. Her career has been Accountancy/Finance in both the Public and Private Sector.

Ruth’s experience as a Governor covers over twenty years, fourteen of which as a Chair of Governors.

Her passion is to ensure that every child has the opportunity to attain and achieve in a safe and happy environment, this is the reason Ruth became a governor. The Castle Carrock Primary School LAB is crucial to helping the school raise standards, as a LAB Member Ruth looks forward to being part of the ongoing journey.

Heather Edgar – Parent LAB member, Safeguarding member and Health and Safety Lead (Subject to DBS clearance)

Heather lives in Castle Carrock and has two children who have attended Castle Carrock School.

Heather is a social worker currently working for the local authority.

She loves the beautiful area in which we live and enjoys walking and camping in the Lake District.

Lewis Flanagan – Staff LAB member

Lewis Flanagan graduated from the University of Cumbria in 2018 after completing a three-year Primary Education degree. He began supply work from that summer and teaching full-time in 2019. He spent the next 3 ½ years at his last school during which he completed his NPQ year, gained experience leading subjects in a small school and across multiple schools.  Lewis then joined Cumbria Education Trust and, by extension, Castle Carrock as he loves working in smaller schools and is keen to develop his career within the Trust.

LAB members in the previous 12 months:

Alison Mitchinson, LAB Member – resigned 09/10/2023

Should you require any meeting minutes from previous years, please do not hesitate to contact Leanne Coats, Clerk to the LAB, at lcoats@cumbriaeducationtrust.org.