New term, new faces, new ideas and the same goal. Investing in our future men.
By Will Durham
And just like that, the long, exceptionally warm summer holidays are over and schools are back in action. It's great to see the corridors of William Ellis, like schools across the country, alive again with the sound of teachers and support staff, and soon pupils themselves. A warm welcome to all new Year 7 pupils at William Ellis, and we hope they enjoyed their week of summer school last week to start building those relationships that are so key to success.
A new academic year always feels like a fresh start, and there's a tangible sense of excitement in the air (from most, if not all…). It's a genuinely exciting time for us at the William Ellis Trust: we're moving into this year with far stronger foundations than we had twelve months ago, flourishing relationships, and a much better understanding of how to enrich pupils' experience at the school.
The ethos behind much of our work now comes down to the idea that it takes our community to invest in our boys' futures effectively, and it's wonderful to see the time and resource so many individuals and organisations are putting in.
Some updates from us:
First, we're thrilled that Clairey Ozkaya is joining us as our Projects and Impact Coordinator, on secondment from the school two days a week. Clairey has been a well-known and much-loved member of the William Ellis team for many years, and we can't wait to bring her drive and passion for Ellis pupils into the Trust.
Second, we're delighted to announce that Lee Elliot-Major has joined our board of trustees. Lee is a former parent and governor of the school and a world-leading expert in education and social mobility. A former Chief Executive of the Sutton Trust, he was appointed the UK's first Professor of Social Mobility at the University of Exeter in 2019, where he continues to research, teach and publish frequently. We're fortunate to have his expertise as a trustee, and look forward to working with him this year and beyond.
The autumn term is already shaping up to be full of exciting opportunities and events. Here are a few of the projects we're working on.
Launching “From the Boys”: Keep your eyes peeled. In the coming weeks we'll be launching “From the Boys,” our podcast series about growing up male in North London today. Developed with Middlesex University, it sees 16 Year 10 pupils (as they were then) let us into their worlds and talk about what it's really like being a young man in North London today.
We're hosting a launch event for the series at the school on Thursday 22nd October from 6pm — join us to discuss the podcasts and how we can best invest in boys as a resource for their future and ours as a community. You can register via Eventbrite here.
This September sees the final round of our Staff Innovation Fund for the 2026–27 financial year, backing big ideas from William Ellis staff about how to deliver education more effectively or enrich pupils' experience across the school. We aim to spend the remainder of its annual £15,000 budget. It is the fourth instalment of the Fund, and its impact is being felt ever more widely across the school. With budgets tighter than ever, even a small pot of funding can make a real difference to what's possible. You can read more about the Fund on our website. Donors can choose to donate directly to this fund should you so wish,
We're also delighted to be partnering with Nini Papashvili and her new community interest company, Biliki, on a new pilot, “Designing My Roadmap.” Over three days at William Ellis during the February 2027 half-term, pupils will connect with mentors and learn about the world of opportunity on their doorstep and beyond, and how to take advantage of it. If you'd like to learn more, please get in touch.
This project also feeds into our wider thinking about how best to involve our community in our work. We're now exploring the design of a trusted adult volunteering scheme to give boys at the school valuable relationships beyond it. In the weeks and months ahead, we'll start reaching out to our community about becoming mentors and getting involved in this collective effort.
Thanks, as ever, to all our supporters as none of the above happens without you. Our Rather Use Than Fame Club, our community of regular donors, keeps growing, and it's that steady, reliable giving that lets us back new ideas like the Staff Innovation Fund and Designing My Roadmap the moment they're ready, rather than waiting on the next big gift. If this term's work has inspired you, we'd love for you to join the Club and invest in our boys' futures with us, term after term.
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