Local Advisory Board (LAB)

What is a Local Advisory Board (LAB)?

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 members here.

View the Structure Of The Trust Board & LABs And Associated Information here.

The 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 governance@cumbriaeducationtrust.org or telephone 016977 45300.

Composition of Local Advisory Board (LAB) members:

Type of member	Number	Term of office	Elected by who
Chief Executive	1	Indefinite	N/A – by appointment as Chief Executive
Headteacher	1	Indefinite	Appointment as Headteacher by Chief Executive/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

LAB Members

Andrew West – Chair

Andrew is a Chartered Building Surveyor with over 34 years experience, working in the construction industry for private professional practices in both London and Cumbria.

He now heads the well-established Cumbrian firm, Chartered Architects and Chartered Surveyors, who provide professional services on a wide range of building and construction related projects across the County, for both public and private sector clients.

Matt Butler – Director of Primary Improvement and Professional Development

Matt has responsibility for all the primary schools in the Trust and for designing and implementing the School Improvement Framework across those schools. He also leads on the Professional Development across the Trust, specifically the overall blueprint for ensuring that professional development in CET is a sector-leading offer. Matt has a wealth of experience in the sector, having previously worked for two national trusts as a Regional Director and Director of Curriculum and Subject development.

In his spare time, Matt enjoys exploring the Lakes, either cycling or running. When he is not out and about, he is usually busy shuttling his two boys to their football and rugby matches or spending quality time with his wife.

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 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 that it is important to work within a school improvement model to develop sustainable change, for the benefit of young people.

After successfully securing their first ‘Good’ judgement at Longtown Primary School, she then took on her second headship within the Trust. At Yanwath Primary School, she ensured that they, as a leadership team, continued to provide a sustainable school improvement model where the mental health and wellbeing of both children and staff were at the heart of all decisions being made.

Amanda Brotherhood – Headteacher

Amanda has been in the Cumbrian education sector for over 20 years, having taught in both primary and secondary schools, ranging from Nursery to Year 11. She started her CET career as an Assistant Headteacher, before taking on a Deputy Headteacher and Head of School role at a school in Carlisle. She is now Headteacher at Hensingham Primary School.

Amanda takes great pride in leading such an outstanding team of staff and children, consistently prioritising the provision of broader opportunities for pupils, alongside a solid foundation to build their skills for the future. She is eager to see the team continue to grow and strengthen.

Nigel Youngman – Headteacher at The Whitehaven Academy

Nigel attended Bristol University to read English and French Literature before taking a teaching role in Pakistan. He returned to the UK to complete his PGCE at Nottingham University before taking teaching roles in schools in Birmingham and Bristol.

A Head of English department role saw Nigel returning to his Norfolk roots, where he spent 7 years at Thorpe St Andrew High School. He then moved to be Deputy Headteacher at Alderman Peel High School before becoming Vice Principal at City Academy Norwich. He became Headteacher at Beccles Free School from the Open Academy where he was Director of Sixth Form and Director of Strategic ICT. Nigel is now the Headteacher at The Whitehaven Academy.

Nigel is married and has two children, and the whole family are relishing the opportunity of living and working in the Lake District.