Rural Academy of Cumbria
The Rural Academy of Cumbria was established in July 2003 to promote the collaboration of schools subscribing to the principle of sustainable education in rural communities.
There are currently seven member schools, all of them small secondary schools in Cumbria. Their influence, including partner Primary Schools and Community Development Centres, extends to thousands of individuals in villages and small market towns across the County.
The collaborative work which has led to the Rural Academy of Cumbria had its origin in the Small Schools Development Group, established in 1989. The Department for Education and Skills quickly recognised the value of our collaborative approach, but it was only as a result of sustained effort by the members of the Rural Academy that the DfES rules for awarding Specialist College Status were changed.
The Academy's perseverance was rewarded in January 2004 by the announcement of the award of Technology College status for each of the nine member schools under the collaborative framework established over the years. Lochinvar & Ehenside have since closed reducing the member schools to seven.
The following schools are all founder members of the Rural Academy:
- Appleby Grammar School
- Beacon Hill Community School
- Cartmel Priory School
- Ehenside School
- John Ruskin School
- Lochinvar School
- Samuel Kings School
- Settlebeck School
- Solway School
