Our Work
Understanding the work we do on behalf of William Ellis School
We are a charity dedicated to investing in inspiring educational experiences, pastoral support, and social and cultural opportunities for boys at William Ellis School—and for girls at the co-educational sixth form.
Our mission is to help William Ellis become a recognised leader in comprehensive education in North London, while contributing to wider regional and national conversations about boys’ education. The school’s approach offers valuable learning that can benefit boys in many other settings, and we are committed to helping that impact grow.
We pursue this mission by supporting initiatives that build confidence and cohesion, personal growth and wellbeing, positive masculinity, social capital and a deep sense of belonging. We place particular emphasis on students from under-resourced backgrounds.
Through our funding, partnerships and programme development, we enhance the school’s work, broaden pupils’ experiences, and help more families choose William Ellis for their sons. We are also strengthening the school’s extensive alumni network to create a community of lifelong support and opportunity for students.
Finally, we champion the achievements of the school and its pupils—sharing their successes and engaging wider audiences in the impactful work taking place every day.
Working on behalf of the school community
The William Ellis Trust exists to support the entire school community. We work collaboratively with students, parents, alumni, staff and partners across North London to strengthen opportunities for every pupil.
From 2025 onwards, we are focusing our support on three core areas of the school’s strategic plan—Boyhood, Community and Entrepreneurial Skills. Together, these sit within the school’s Enabling Good Citizens priority and reinforce one another in meaningful ways. You can explore each focus area in more detail on their dedicated pages.
These priorities reflect both the opportunities and the challenges facing our students today. By aligning our work with them, the Trust is able to make a significant and measurable contribution to positive outcomes across the school and beyond.
Each year, we provide funding through several key streams:
Staff Innovation Fund: Open for applications during the first month of each academic term, this fund empowers staff to test ideas and develop initiatives that enrich students' experience across our strategic priorities.
Leadership Fund: Dedicated to high-impact projects identified by the Senior Leadership Team as having the greatest benefit to the school as a whole.
Capital Support: Including our recent £200,000 seed-funding pledge to the More Than a Playground campaign, alongside contributions to essential maintenance and the long-term condition of school facilities.
In addition, we maintain a General Fund, overseen by the Director and Trustees, which enables us to respond flexibly to needs and opportunities that arise throughout the year—drawing inspiration from staff, students, families, alumni and the wider community
Do you have a great idea for an opportunity or program that will deliver value to William Ellis and other Camden pupils?
Are you an existing Camden organisation that would like to partner with the Trust on an initiative? We always welcome new ideas and would love to hear from you with ideas you may have.
Please use the Contact Us feature to reach out and we will be in touch as soon as possible.