The new enrichment benchmarks and the William Ellis Trust

‍By Will Durham

The release of a new government enrichment framework affirms our work within the William Ellis community, and highlights the importance our supporters make to the educational experiences of our pupils.

In June 2026, the Department for Education published its new Enrichment Framework which consists of a set of eight benchmarks designed to ensure that every pupil in England has access to a broad range of experiences beyond the classroom. Covering five areas of activity from arts and culture to civic engagement, the framework reflects a growing recognition that education is about far more than examination results. As the government put it, these experiences should "build confidence, spark ambition and help young people discover what they are capable of."

These benchmarks set out an approach to education that has always been at the heart of William Ellis School, and our work at the Trust. In many ways, it provides a national modern context to the radical conviction held by William Ellis himself that education should prepare young people to become fulfilled, useful members of society. This founding ethos continues to run through everything we do at the Trust today in support of the school, and our local community.

What hasn’t been announced alongside these new benchmarks, which will be assessed by Ofsted, is new pots of funding to enable schools to deliver them beyond a 400-school pilot. It is here that our work at the Trust, and the support generously provided by our giving community, really comes into its own. Over the past year, through our Staff Innovation Fund, support for outdoor education, investment in arts, sport, careers and community projects, and our work helping pupils develop their sense of agency and civic responsibility, we have been helping build exactly the kind of enrichment offer the government wants every school to provide.

What is in the benchmarks, and how does our work support their delivery?

The framework requires schools to provide enrichment across five categories: civic engagement; arts and culture; nature, outdoors and adventure; sport and physical activity; and wider life and future skills (including STEM, digital literacy, enterprise and cooking). Our activities since April 2025 map well across all five of these areas.

1. Civic Engagement

Volunteering, debating, school democracy, community engagement

Much of our work aims to enhance the school’s Enabling Good Citizens strategy, we look forward to continuing to develop and support a wide range of opportunities within this area..

·       UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Award (Silver) – funding and supporting a staff member to lead this work, and recruit pupils as Rights Ambassadors

·       Schools Loneliness Project with Neighbourly Lab – exploring how we can create a better sense of belonging within the school in conversation with pupils

·       Pupil Advisory Board – we will be launching this in the new academic year, giving pupils a formal voice in shaping our work as a charity

·       From the Boys podcast – our current major project, it sees Year 10 pupils working with Middlesex University to co-produce a podcast series on growing up male in Camden today. It places pupils at the centre of a national conversation about young masculinity, a directly civic act

2. Arts and Culture

Music, art, dance, theatre, visits to museums and galleries

·       Camden Youth Dance Festival – funding additional staff time for pupils to rehearse and deliver high-quality dance performances while representing the school

·       LAMDA training – high-quality provision in public speaking, performance and communication which we helped remove financial barriers to

·       Extracurricular music ensembles – funded access for pupils who might otherwise not be able to participate

·       ARTiculate programme – funding support for this through the Staff Innovation Fund

·       Library resources – investment in physical books and audiobook resources that pupils have identified they’d like to read, funded in part by alumni donor John Simmons who also lead reading sessions around his beloved Northern Lights

·       London zoo education access – whole-school membership funded through the Staff Innovation Fund and which is being put to great use by a wide range of departments and year groups

3. Nature, Outdoors Education and Adventure

Time outdoors, climate education, gardening, residentials and camps. It is a defining feature of a William Ellis education, and one we are fully committed to as a Trust.

·       The Mill subsidies – our funding helps with ensuring Key Stage 3 visits to the school’s residential centre near Dorking remain accessible to all

·       New tents and hiking boots for The Mill and Duke of Edinburgh trips - funded through the Staff Innovation Fund, supporting overnight and expedition experiences

·       Drainage improvements at The Mill - infrastructure investment to improve the quality of outdoor residential stays for pupils and staff alike

4. Sport and Physical Activity

Individual and team sports, fitness, representing the school. A proud memory for many current and Old Elysians it is an area we intend to invest in further.

• Before-school basketball coaching and mentoring — run during the spring term, paired with breakfast club access

• Football Beyond Borders – from September 2026 we have funded a new partnership through our Leadership Fund. FBB provide an award-winning football-based support programme involving pastoral and academic support.

5. Wider Life and Future Skills

Digital literacy, STEM, enterprise, cooking, managing finances

·       Raspberry Pis for Software Engineering Club — practical digital and computing skills (Staff Innovation Fund).

·       19 Chromebooks for Drama and Geography — improving digital access for curriculum and coursework.

·       From the Boys podcast project — skills in audio production, narrative construction and interviewing, alongside work experience with professional recording technicians.

·       Careers events and alumni volunteering — alumni supporting careers provision and work experience opportunities, with a careers carousel held in March 2026.

The benchmarks themselves:

The enrichment framework sets out the eight benchmarks which outline how each school should approach enrichment, in order to deliver consistently outstanding opportunities to their pupils.

These are;

·       A strategically aligned offer

·       A broad and well-rounded offer

·       A well-communicated offer that celebrates participation

·       An offer shaped by the community

·       An accessible and engaging offer

·       An offer that works in partnership

·       An outcomes-focused offer, and

·       A continually improving offer

Our work, funded so generously by a range of supporters, is well-positioned to continue to add significant value to the school’s enrichment offer. We look forward to helping continue to provide a wide range of opportunities to support current Elysians development into fulfilled, useful members of society.

We would love for you to consider becoming a part of this success story. Learn more about the different ways to support our work financially here – in particular, our Rather Use Than Fame Club is entirely dedicated to this work.