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 trips, extra-curricular activities and other learning opportunities. 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 planning fundraising activities and allocating grants, please get in touch!

Click here to donate to our Sports Kit Fundraising Campaign

What we fund

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, the Houses of Parliament. and the annual Year 7 Camp.  

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 Lottery

This is a great way to raise funds for our school and for you to win some cash. Tickets are are only £1 per week and you could be in with a chance to win £25,000 in the national prize draw! Join the lottery here

New - Sports Kits Justgiving Campaign

Help us raise funds to buy new sports kits for our boys and girls football teams. This will allow all of our teams to have equal representation and an opportunity to wear the Sheldon colours with pride! Donate here

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!

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)