The Good Shepherd Trust (GST) is a family of church school academies within the Diocese of Guildford. Established in 2013 as a multi-academy trust, or MAT, the Trust believes in the value of each young person and the importance of holistic education at all of its schools. 

In partnership with schools the Trust  strives to provide transformational education by setting high standards, encouraging and recognising positive achievement in everyone, raising aspiration, increasing opportunities and improving standards.

The Guildford Diocesan Board of Education set up its own umbrella trust, Guildford Diocese Educational Trust (‘GDET’), at the end of 2011 to take forward its response to the Government’s academies agenda. GDET’s aims are broad but include the sponsorship of Church of England academies in the diocese. In order to take the sponsorship of academies further, The Good Shepherd Trust (GST) was established to manage diocesan academies.

This legal framework is required by the Department of Education and is closely regulated by them to ensure that trusts have the capacity to support significant improvement in their schools. The Good Shepherd Trust is a 'multi-academy trust' (or MAT), a family of ten schools within the Diocese of Guildford. It works with agencies and services in both the public and private sectors to provide support to each school based on its needs and priorities. Initially the work of the Trust was focused on sponsored academies, but it has since welcomed five diocesan schools that chose to convert to academy status.

Ashley CofE Primary School

Christs College Guildford

Farnborough Grange Nursery/Infant School

Ottershaw Christ Church C of E Schools

Queen Eleanor's CofE Junior School

St Andrews C Of E Infant School & Potters Gate CofE Primary School

St John's CofE Primary School

St Mark And All Saints C of E Primary

St Mary's CofE Primary School, Chiddlingfold

St Paul's CE Primary School

Surrey Hills CofE Primary School

The Holme Church of England Primary School

The Weald CofE Primary School

Waverley Abbey CofE Junior School

Ethos and Values

Our aim is to ensure that all schools in the Guildford Diocese are able to offer pupils transformational educational experiences which:

• Encourage and recognise positive achievement in every person
• Set high standards for all, confident that everyone can experience success
• Provide a learning experience which develops pupils in body, mind and spirit
• Provide a learning environment which is ordered and disciplined

What Makes Us Different?

We are committed to transforming learning, raising aspirations, increasing opportunities and improving standards for all our children. This means that:

We create an effective climate for learning –

• by enabling children to know that they are created in the image of God and uniquely valued by Him
• by providing a secure environment in which they can learn
• by creating a clearly established framework of values so they know what is expected of them and how they should treat others
• by offering them experiences, whatever their faith or background, that enable them to wrestle with life’s ‘big questions’ and find answers that give shape and meaning to their lives
• by modelling Christian community life where all have a place and can contribute.

We set standards of excellence in teaching and learning – high expectations raise aspirations of pupils and their communities:

• because church schools strive to offer excellence in all they do
• because professional development of staff and school leaders is central to successful educational models.

We offer a curriculum and learning environment relevant to our learners – high standards in the core curriculum especially literacy and numeracy

• learning experiences which stimulate, challenge and inspire; rooted in Christian values and teaching
• shape the curriculum to the needs and interests of learners in school’s community.

We build strong and effective partnerships with parents and the local and wider community

• because the engagement of parents/carers is vital to children’s educational achievements
• because church schools are rooted in the local parish and wider church networks who provide practical and prayerful support for their schools
• because children’s personal development grows through membership of community and enables them to become contributing citizens.