Head hails community spirit as Horncastle school project gets go-ahead

As a small, rural school, indoor space at The Edward Richardson Primary in Tetford is “incredibly limited”, admits head Stuart Spendlow.

And “the need for a calm, welcoming environment to support pupils with additional needs has grown increasingly urgent”.

But now, Stuart reveals, a project to install a modular building on a small piece of land, within the East Road school’s grounds, can come to fruition – five years ahead of schedule.

It’s all thanks to “the extraordinary generosity of the local community” and a “transformational £7,899 donation from the national Agency Giving Fund of the NFU Mutual insurance company”.

Stuart explained: “The building will be a flexible, purpose-designed space that will support small group work, quiet sessions, meetings and targeted pastoral support.

"We’re huge on wellbeing here. We’re proud of the support we already offer, but this new space will take it to the next level.

"It will give us the chance to work even more closely with children who need that focused time, helping them feel safe, confident and ready to succeed.

"As with any major improvement in a rural school, cost has been a significant barrier. So that’s where the village spirit has come in.

"Support has poured in from across Tetford. Several local businesses, including some who have chosen to remain anonymous, have stepped forward.

"The school’s PSFA (Parents, Staff and Friends Association) has also gone above and beyond, raising an extraordinary sum of thousands of pounds through discos, fairs, film nights and more.

“The PSFA is incredible. It does all this work voluntarily, with so much energy and love for the school. Thanks to its fundraising, we have so many luxuries and experiences that we wouldn’t normally have.”

The final game-changing boost to the building project, however, came thanks to NFU Mutual’s fund, which has committed more than £2 million to local and national charities and organisations during 2025 – and a heartfelt conversation with the firm’s senior agent in Horncastle, Mark Fuller.

“Mark’s belief in the project was immediate and inspiring,” Stuart said. “He talked with such warmth about Tetford and the people here.

"He understood the real-life difference a project like this can make to young people and their chances in life.

"Thanks to NFU Mutual’s generosity, we can now move ahead far sooner than expected and start making a real impact, not in five years as originally planned but this very year!”

The wheels are now in full motion to get the project on its feet. And that’s where even more community kindness has shone through, with MHD Construction, of Mablethorpe, agreeing to sort the groundwork completely free of charge, and Paul Todd, of Tetford company Brian Todd Homes Ltd, donating all the gravel required.

Stuart says the school is still “in shock at how amazing the community has been”, but it is “looking forward to the grand opening being far sooner than anyone could have anticipated”.