Mission Focus for November 2026
Great and Little Shelford CoE Primary School
We live and work in harmony with love for one another,
so we can achieve our potential,
within a community of life-long learners.
Our village school has at its heart the vision above; this is something that is said
and signed every day, but most importantly, unpicked to show what it means and how to live this out in the school community. All children and families, of all faiths and none, are welcome at the school, and made aware of its strong Christian ethos. This welcome extends to children with a wide range of needs, be they cognitive, socio-emotional or neurodiverse, and the school is blessed with an amazing staff team who work extremely hard in challenging roles.
A vibrant range of experiences is provided, and the curriculum is brought to life through trips such as residential stays at Burwell House and Grafham Water and visits to Saffron Walden Museum and Hedingham Castle. A wide range of visitors further enrich the children’s learning through experiences such as performances by Sawston Village College’s wind band, Kapla workshops (think giant Jenga / Lego type creations) and Q and A sessions with our local PCSO.
The school has strong partnerships with other local schools, working closely with two neighbouring Church of England schools, Whittlesford and Duxford, sharing good practice among the triad. The three local churches take it in turns to lead Collective Worship each week, and along with St. Mary’s and All Saints we work in partnership, sharing common themes. Particular links with GSFC are the Permanent Prayer Space, (which is provided in partnership with GenR8), the Easter Key Stage 2 visit, which this year focused on Handel’s Messiah, and the summer orchestra and choir concert, which gives the opportunity for families to visit our church.
All this is achieved against a background of rising special educational needs (SEND) and associated lack of funding; Cambridgeshire has a backlog of 1,800 children waiting for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), a legal document outlining their needs and support. About 9% of EHCPs in Cambridgeshire are being issued within a statutory 20-week deadline, compared with around 46% nationally. According to council calculations, mainstream schools missed out on more than £7.3m in funding last year because EHCP funding is not backdated when plans are issued late.
Designed to support children of the school, the Shelford School Support Fund (SSSF) is a charitable fund held and administered by the Governing Board. It is separate from school finances and from the PTA. Given the funding constraints, the financial support of our congregation, which subsidises such things as counselling for children, accessibility to music lessons and contributions to educational visits is especially gratefully received.
