Our first Staff Innovation Fund projects are funded

We have recently completed the first round of our new Staff Innovation Fund which supports teachers and staff at William Ellis to trial new approaches and initiatives to build on their excellent work. This fund is one of the three key funding streams with which the Trust supports the school and pupils each year – along with the statutory funding we provide to unlock larger capital expenditure projects within the school.

The fund is open for four weeks from the start of each academic term for staff to apply to, with a panel of two trustees and the school headteacher discussing applications and deciding which projects and resources best fit trust strategic criteria – while benefiting the most students.

We are delighted to have been able to fund £4,360 worth of initiatives in the Autumn round – with discussions ongoing about finetuning two other projects which will increase our spending. The funded initiatives are;

·       Purchasing Raspberry Pi’s as part of a project to teach practical entrepreneurial skills to students wanting to learn about setting up a business – as well as core coding skills required

·       Funding the cost of an EdTech subscription for Modern Foreign Languages – a core subject at the school. Last year, 90% of students sat a languages GCSE – and this resource provides cost-free access to high-quality learning materials for all pupils. It will also help improve communication between teaching staff and pupils.

·       Funding access to music ensembles for pupils through the next two academic terms to ensure they can access these extra-curricular opportunities without worry about costs and self-funding

We hope to announce an additional initiative funded through the autumn round after half-term as we work on the details of what this looks like.

Una Rodgers, Head of Modern Foreign Languages at William Ellis School, spoke about the resource in her application writing that “all students will have access to it via computers at school and we run a homework help club where we can support students using it. There is no extra cost to families and it removes financial barriers by having the book online and not having to buy a physical copy. It provides free access to resources through the school's subscription. This ensures all students, regardless of background receive the same quality of education & learning tools.”

All at the Trust look forward to seeing the benefits of this subscription, and other funded proposal, play out over the next few.

We are already looking forward to seeing what else comes forward in January when the fund reopens for applications – and building on this months positive start to this new stream of funding.

Thanks, as ever, to all who make our work possible through generous donations and tireless volunteering.

October 2025.