This Week at St Faith’s

From small beginnings…

In assembly this week, Mr Davenport shared a story with the children that neatly captured the idea that small beginnings, when combined with ambition and perseverance, can lead to something remarkable. In 1968, a local farmer from Swaffham Bulbeck began a nursery business supplying cut flowers to the wholesale trade. He ran it from a single shed before eventually acquiring a 14-acre site in Great Shelford, allowing the business to expand. Many of you will recognise that business today as Scotsdales, founded by the late David Rayner.

Together with his daughter, Caroline, Mr Rayner grew the enterprise into the group of Cambridgeshire garden centres that are now so familiar to the local community. Importantly, the business has remained in family ownership, with service to and support of the local community at the heart of its values.

Mr Davenport used this story to illustrate to the children how ideas, when paired with dedication and hard work, can grow far beyond their original form. From our eight key Learning Habits, we are reminded that ambition and resilience are skills that support us throughout life, and that believing in ourselves and having the confidence to try, is often the most important first step.

A man in a suit speaks to a large group of students wearing red and black uniforms, seated on the floor in a school hall. A projector screen is visible beside him.

A man in a suit stands at a podium speaking to a seated group of children. Behind him, a screen displays an image of a log slice with a green sprout and the words “FROM ONE LITTLE START:”.

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New Era Speech and Drama Examinations

Pupils who took the New Era Speech and Drama examinations last term have received an outstanding set of results, with every award achieved at Distinction or Merit level. In total, our pupils were awarded 26 Distinctions and 20 Merits. These results reflect careful preparation, confidence and commitment, and I should like to congratulate all involved on their success. Thank you as well to those staff involved in providing expert teaching and support of the pupils in this specialism of Speech and Drama performance.

Angles Battleships

Mrs Rainsford writes,

“Our Year 6 pupils have been diving into the world of geometry this term. One highlight was an exciting ‘Angles Battleships’ activity, where pupils used their knowledge of angles to plot and locate battleships on a grid. The activity sparked lively competition and kept everyone highly engaged, while also developing accuracy in measuring and drawing angles.”

Two children in red jackets sit on blue chairs in a classroom, facing each other and working on worksheets with pencils. A wooden desk and other students are visible in the background.

Two students sit side by side at desks, drawing on graph paper with pencils and rulers. Pencil cases and stationery are on the desks, and both are focused on their math assignments.

Two boys in sports clothes work together; one kneels and writes on graph paper placed on a blue chair, while the other sits beside him, smiling at the camera. School bags and stationery are nearby.

Two boys sitting on blue chairs face each other, working on graph paper with math tools like rulers and protractors. School bags and stationery are visible on the chairs and floor around them.

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Cambridgeshire County Schools’ Cross-Country Championships

Mr Mageean writes,

“Four of our Year 7 girls represented Cambridge Schools in the County Schools Cross Country Championships at Ely on a very chilly Saturday morning last weekend (having all qualified from the recent City Championship). On a flat and fast course our pupils competing against the best 50 cross country runners from Ely, Huntington, Cambridge and Peterborough.

They all put in fantastic effort on the day and have shown great development of their race tactics, pacing and sprint finishes. Our girls finished: 6^th, 7^th, 23^rd and 31^st. Two of our girls qualified inside the top 14 and they are to be congratulated on being awarded their County vests – they progress to the next round which is the Anglian Schools’ Cross Country Championships which take place at Northampton later this month.

It was also super to see two Old Fidelians also qualifying to represent the County in the next round too; winner of the Minor Boys event and 11^th place in the Junior Girls event.”

A young runner wearing a red and black St. Faiths jersey and race number 8 is running on a grassy outdoor trail, with shrubs and a grassy embankment in the background.

A young athlete in a red “St. Faith’s” vest and black shorts runs on a grassy path outdoors, wearing yellow shoes and a race bib with the number 7, surrounded by bushes and an overcast sky.

Four girls in matching red and black St. Faith’s athletic uniforms stand arm-in-arm on a grassy field, smiling at the camera. Each wears a race bib and sports shoes; the sky is cloudy in the background.

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Humanities Challenges

Miss Dow writes,

“Throughout last term, pupils in Years 5 to 8 were busy completing Humanities Challenges in their own time. Each year group was given a selection of challenges linked to the topics they were studying, allowing pupils to choose activities that particularly interested them.

Over 50 pupils completed more than 100 challenges. These ranged from cooking a South American meal and litter picking along a stream, to reading a book set in Victorian England or learning to play the classical piece Vltava on a musical instrument. Some pupils visited significant historical and geographical landmarks, including Canterbury Cathedral, the Georgian House in Bristol, and closer to home, Castle Hill and the Leper Church. Others discovered fascinating artefacts and documents in museums, such as a hoard of medieval coins at the Fitzwilliam Museum and the Magna Carta at the British Library. Their enthusiasm and curiosity, so evident in their photographs, have been a delight to see.

Congratulations to all pupils who took part — we hope you are inspired to explore this term’s new set of challenges.”

A young girl sits smiling in a wooden boat on a river, holding a stuffed lion. Behind her is green grass and the historic buildings of Kings College, Cambridge, under a partly cloudy sky.

A boy stands in front of a stone monument in a town on the left, and the same boy smiles outdoors in a grassy field wearing a blue jacket and holding a stick on the right.

A girl stands in front of a round stone church on the left and looks at an old book in a glass display inside a museum on the right. She is wearing a red jacket in both images.

A young boy stands on a sunlit path with hands in pockets, smiling. Behind him are grassy bushes and a city skyline with church spires and towers under a bright, clear sky.

Split image: On the left, a child in a bright green jacket stands outside near an information board, giving two thumbs up. On the right, a child stands in front of a round stone church with a domed roof and arched doorway.

A smiling child with long hair and a gray hoodie points at a display case containing various round, dark-colored objects in a museum or exhibit setting.

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Entrance Assessments

As reported in last week’s newsletter, we have been welcoming applicants seeking to join St Faith’s in Years 1 to 7 this September. Yesterday served as a further assessment date for children who were unable to attend on 8^th January, including some travelling from overseas. We were pleased that our prospective pupils were able to complete their assessments in a happy and welcoming atmosphere, enjoying time with current pupils at break and lunchtime. We do hope they enjoyed their morning with us.

‘Pop-in & Play’: A warm welcome

On Wednesday morning, we opened our doors to prospective Reception and Preschool families for our ‘Pop-in & Play’ event. Visitors had the opportunity to experience first-hand the vibrant, nurturing environment that defines Early Years education at St Faith’s, and it was a pleasure to welcome so many families into school.

The Leys Scholarships Assessments

Those who follow our social media channels will have seen that on Tuesday we welcomed the Head of The Leys, Dr Clare Ives, who undertook scholarship interviews with our pupils. Dr Ives commented on how well the children presented themselves and she also noted their kindness and support for one another, which was particularly commendable.

Scholarship assessments have also been taking place at The Leys this week and they will continue into next week. Undertaking scholarship assessments of any kind represents a significant commitment and our pupils have prepared extremely diligently for the occasion. We wish all those involved every success.

Two professionally dressed adults stand outside a red-brick building with a sign that reads Welcome School House Reception. There are arched windows, greenery, and a paved area in the foreground.

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SFPA and Old Fidelians

The start of term also marked the first meetings of 2026 for both the St Faith’s Parents’ Association (SFPA) and Old Fidelians (OF). Members of these invaluable volunteer committees give most generously of their time throughout the year, playing a vital role in planning events and activities that enrich our school community.

If you would be interested in joining or supporting their work — whether as a committee member or through one-off involvement — please do get in touch via sfpa@stfaiths.co.uk (SFPA) or marketing@stfaiths.co.uk (OF). Looking ahead, the SFPA Easter Community Day will take place on Saturday 14^th March, and the 2026 Old Fidelian BBQ is scheduled for Friday 4^th September.

A group of ten adults pose together indoors, smiling at the camera. Some are standing while others are slightly in front. The setting appears to be an office or meeting room with bright lighting.

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Next week

Next week the Pre Prep children are going to be very busy, as they seek to banish ‘Blue Monday’ with brightly coloured outfits and plenty of energetic outdoor play to lift everyone’s spirits. The day will also include a mindfulness session for parents at the end of the school day, provided by Mrs Walker. Meanwhile on Tuesday, Year 2 will embark on an interstellar journey with a visit from the Stardome Planetarium, and Year 8 Art & Design pupils will find inspiration at the Castle Fine Art Gallery.

Before then, we wish the Years 5 and 6 boys the very best of luck as they take part in hockey matches tomorrow against Kent College.

And Finally…

This week has included many quiet reminders of the habits that underpin effective learning — curiosity, independence, collaboration and resilience among them. These qualities develop steadily over time, and it is always uplifting to see them evident across the school.

As the first shoots of Spring bulbs start to appear around us, I do hope the weekend provides an opportunity for some relaxation before another busy week.

With all best wishes,

Crispin Hyde-Dunn

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