THE headteacher of a Wigton primary school has said that it is 'exciting times' for the school after it joined a multi-academy trust. 

St. Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, which is located on East End, Wigton, joined the Mater Christi Multi-Academy Trust on Sunday, September 1, with an academy conversion letter subsequently being published by education watchdog Ofsted on Friday, September 6.

St. Cuthbert's becomes the latest Cumbrian school to join the trust which now includes 16 schools from across the county, including Our Lady and St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Maryport and St Catherine's Catholic Primary School in Penrith, as well as schools from Lancashire.

Ann-Marie Handford is the headteacher at St Cuthbert's and explained about accepting an invitation from the Bishop of Lancaster to join the trust which was formed in 2021. 

She said: "The trust began in 2021 with eight schools and then the Bishop, Paul Swarbrick to all his catholic schools within the diocese of Lancaster so the first set of schools who joined in 2921 were followed by another set in 2022.

"After conversations with our governing board, we decided that the right time to join the Mater Christi Trust was in September 2024, so we have joined alongside another two schools and the trust stretches across Cumbria and into some of Lancashire."

Ann-Marie also discussed the benefits that the primary school will experiences after becoming part of Mater Christi's wider Catholic community.

She said: "I think one of the main benefits is that network of Catholic leaders who have a shared vision. 

"That shared vision is our shared values of loving and learning and it is that network where we can collaborate with schools across the trust, we can share success, we can offer support to one another.

"We have regular meetings with other headteachers on the trust as we share ideas and that is great, moving forward it really is an exciting time. 

"It is an extended family of schools. A Catholic school is not just a building it is a community and we are very much part of a community in Wigton and we have now got our extended family in the Diocese of Lancaster."