The Whitehaven Academy

The school converted to academy status in January 2014, sponsored by the Bright Tribe Trust, and was renamed the Whitehaven Academy. The past records of school were obscured, it gained a new Ofsted Unique Reference Number and establishment number.

In January 2015 the trust announced that they had appointed Philip Grant as the new principal, who was moving to the academy from Newton Rigg College, Penrith where he was the director of studies.[4] Grant took up his position on 16 March 2015. Then Grant was replaced by Warren Turner for the academic year 2016/17. Turner had previously acted as principal at Richard Rose Morton Academy in Carlisle.

In November 2016 the school was placed in special measures following an Ofsted inspection.[5] Parents, teachers, and politicians were critical of the Bright Tribe Trust. The building was physically deteriorating and was not watertight. Staff and parents were concerned about the lack of teaching resources with some teachers printing exam practice papers at home using their own materials, such was the shortage in school. Staff raised their concerns writing directly to the Regional Schools Commissioner, Janet Renou, who claims she has been working with Bright Tribe and the Education and Skills Funding Agency to try to address the state of the building.[6]

Parents and staff remained dissatisfied: one child was taken to hospital after being hit by falling debris, one lunch session being stopped because rain was dripping on to food and rainwater falling on to electric sockets. The staff explained that much of the building had to be cordoned off when it rained. A series of strikes was planned for December 2017 and January 2018 to highlight the need for a new sponsor.[6]

On 30 November 2017 it was announced that a new sponsor would be found for the school, as the Bright Tribe Trust had relinquished control.[6] The multi-academy trust, which runs nine other primary and secondary schools throughout Cumbria, confirmed that its chief operating officer was stepping down. It also pulled out of a proposed sponsorship for Haydon Bridge High School in Northumberland, as the school was running an increasing financial deficit.[7] Bright Tribe blames its failure on "historical underinvestment before its involvement". Janet Renou said "...it is clear that a new sponsor is required to deliver the improvement needed to ensure pupils get the education they deserve – and the process of identifying an alternative is under way."[6]

In 2018 it emerged that the Bright Tribe Trust had taken the money intended for repairs to the school, and then not carried out the work; the Conservative government, which had approved the academy initiative, had been warned about the problems in 2015, but had taken no action. Michael Dwan, the founder of Bright Tribe Trust and had previously made over a hundred million pounds from similar arrangements in NHS provision, said "I am not in control of the trusts and never have been."[8]

The school was in limbo, it did not have the option to return to local authority control. It could not make long-term planning decisions, hire new permanent members of staff or organise pay rises. The government struggled to find a new chain willing and able to take on the school, which is in a precarious financial position.[9]

As of 3 December 2017, 64 academy status schools are waiting to find a new sponsor after being abandoned by, or relinquished by their managing trust. Using average enrolments of 279 pupils for state primary schools and 946 for state secondary schools this would mean over 40,000 students are affected.[9]

In mid 2018 the new sponsor for The Whitehaven Academy was named as Cumbria Education Trust, shortly afterwards it was announced that headteacher Warren Turner had resigned and Assistant Headteacher Andrea Bateson was taking over on an interim basis.[10]

In September 2020 a new level of co-operation began with the initiation of the West Coast Sixth Form. Students from Whitehaven and Workington wanting to enter one of the three pathways of sixth-form education - Academic, Vocational and Other - will study in a combined sixth form with a free bus service between the two sites.[12] New facilities in Whitehaven are due to open in Spring of 2022.[13]

• Tony Cooper, General Secretary from 1991 of the Engineers' and Managers' Association, then of Prospect from 2001–02, then Chairman from 2002-05 of the Nuclear Industry Association (NIA), and father of Yvette Cooper, Labour MP since 2010 for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford and former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
• Robert Fell CB CBE, Chief Executive from 1975-82 of the London Stock Exchange
• Jim Graham OBE, Managing Director from 1982-96 of Border Television, then Chief Executive from 1996–98
• Prof Peter Halfpenny, Professor of Sociology from 1993-2010 at the University of Manchester
• Alf Parrish, Chief Constable from 1981-85 of Derbyshire Constabulary
• Sir Derek Pattinson, Secretary-General from 1972-90 of the General Synod
• Tom Rawling, poet
• Cyril Hazard, radio astronomer.