The Sheldon Student Opportunity Fund (SSOF) raises money to fund much-needed equipment and activities for all students at the school. It helps support the extensive enrichment programmes at Sheldon, including subsidising trips, purchasing equipment for extra-curricular activities and partially funding the Leavers' Prom. Without your support, student activities would me much more expensive!

Unlike a hardship fund, the Sheldon Student Opportunity Fund benefits ALL students in the school, regardless of their circumstances. This means EVERY parent benefits too!

Together we can play a vital role in the lives of students at Sheldon by funding the extras that make school so much more enjoyable and rewarding. We are very grateful for our generous school community who donate each year. Thank you for you support! If you would like to find out more about the SSOF or would like to get involved making decisions about how to raise funds and how the awards are allocated, please get in touch!

What we fund

2024 Project - New Playground Equipment

This year are focusing on improving the facilities for students during break and lunchtime. We want our children to have a variety of activities to enjoy during breaks and would like to fund new seating areas and games equipment for all students to utilise. This will be a significant investment -- the more money we can raise, the more we can provide! Any donation to the SSOF will help insure that Sheldon's student facilities will benefit children for years to come.

What we do already!

Student clubs

The SSOF helps extracurricular clubs such as Science Club, Lego Club, Year 7 Wellbeing Club, Allotment Club and the wide variety of sports clubs. Our fundraising allows us to provide equipment, transportation, sports kit to a wide variety of clubs so that students have the opportunity to make new friends and explore their interests.

Classroom activities and resources 

We help supplement the work that teaches are doing at Sheldon School to make learning more engaging by providing funding for additional resources that will support a wide variety of students. This may include art workshops, Maths in Action workshops, and foreign language resources.

Book Buzz

Each year our Year 7 students receive a free book as part of their introduction to the school library. They get to select their preferred book and can read it during their English and Library lessons. This is a tradition that the SSOF is proud to support so that every student can feel welcomed to Sheldon with the gift of a new book. 

School trips

School trips are one of the most memorable parts of a young person's life. Not only do they help support learning and bring ideas to life, they may also provide new opportunities for students to experience travel outside of our school community. The trips we fund may be linked to curriculum or part of the school's pastoral work. We have partially funded trips to the Bristol Hippodrome, Bletchley Park and the Houses of Parliament. We also help subsidise the annual Year 7 Camp so that the cost does not prohibit students from joining this essential team-building event. The SSOF is essential to keeping the costs of school trips down. We often part-fund trips or fund the transportation costs of a school trip (which can often add up to £500 for coach transport for a day) 

Year 11 and Year 13 leavers 

We want to make sure that our Year 11 and Year 13 students leave the school with wonderful memories. We are pleased to subsidise the cost of Y11 Prom and Y13 Ball to help students celebrate in style and make happy memories of their final days at Sheldon.

“My Y7 son went to science club last week and he was buzzing afterwards. Dissecting mackerel did come as a surprise to me as something that he loved doing but isn’t that fantastic, it sums up what the Opportunity Fund is about, the chance to try something new, discover things that you are interested in, extend your learning, make new friends and have fun in the process. Thank you!” Parent of a Y7 student

How can I donate?

We have a variety of ways to help support the fund. No matter how much you give, everything helps to give students more opportunities to learn and grow outside the classroom.

New - Sheldon School Raffle

We've organised a fantastic raffle with prizes including WOMAD family camping passes, cinema tickets, meal vouchers and more! Find out more and purchase your tickets here, but hurry, the draw will be held on Friday 22 March! 

New - Lunchtime Equipment Justgiving Campaign

To help us raise funds for our break and lunchtime equipment, we've launched a Justgiving campaign. Please help support the SSOF by donating and sending the link to anyone who might be interested in giving to our students.

ParentPay

Make a donation from your ParentPay account. Go to ‘Active payment items’, click on ‘Opportunity Fund’ and type the amount you wish to give. If you are a UK taxpayer please type ‘Gift Aid’ in the notes field as under the Gift Aid Scheme, for every pound that you donate the government will give us an extra 25p!

Join the 500 Club

The 500 Club is Sheldon’s own school lottery. For just £12 you can buy a number which is entered into a draw three times in the academic year. You can buy as many numbers as you like! Buy your number(s) through ParentPay. 80% of the money comes to the Fund and 20% is given out as cash prizes to the lucky winners! Rules of the 500 Club can be downloaded below.

Regular donation

Set up a monthly or annual donation using the form below to set up a standing order. This type of donation is extremely helpful, thank you to all those who currently support the Fund in this way.

 Easy Fundraising

Join our easyfundraising page to raise funds whenever you shop online with over 7,500 brands who will donate part of what you send to us. It won't cost any extra as the cost is covered by the brand. There are no catches or hidden charges and so far over £3,000 has been raised for the Sheldon Student Opportunity Fund!

Sign up for free at easyfundraising 

Every time you shop online, go to easyfundraising first, pick the retailer you want and start shopping. You can make donating even simpler by installing the easyfundraising donation reminder so that when you visit a retailer’s website the reminder will offer you the chance to donate immediately. After you’ve checked out, that retailer will make a donation to your good cause for no extra cost whatsoever!

Second-hand uniform Sale

Money from the sale of second-hand uniform is donated directly to the SSFO. We hold uniform sales throughout the year, but you can contact the Sheldon Reception Office anytime throughout the year to purchase uniform items. Email admin@sheldonschool.co.uk with the size and item you require, and they will let you know if it is in stock. 

Any contribution you can make through these 5 ways of giving makes a big difference. If every family donated the equivalent of £1 per month a whopping £15,000 would be raised each year! This would bring fantastic lasting benefits to all Sheldon students.

Can I help?

YES! We are always in need of help! We are a friendly group of parents and staff - we meet about 3-4 times a year and new faces are very welcome. You can throw yourself fully into all aspects of the Fund or lend a hand with an area such as fundraising, events or publicity or just send us your suggestions!

Get in touch, it’s a great way to ‘give a little back’ and get involved with the school, just drop us an email at opportunityfund@sheldon.co.uk

Contacts

Nicola Dowd: Chair

Lisa Pullin: Secretary

Sharon Warne: Treasurer

opportunityfund@sheldonschool.co.uk

The Sheldon Student Opportunity Fund is a Registered Charity in England and Wales (number 1116688)