Our Work

Understanding the work we do on behalf of William Ellis School

We are a charity that invests in inspiring education activities, pastoral support and social and cultural connections for boys at William Ellis School, and for girls at the co-educational sixth form.

Our mission is to help William Ellis School become a recognised leader in comprehensive education within North London, as well as contributing to and influencing important conversations taking place at the regional and national levels about boys’ education. We believe there is significant value in the school’s approach to this work that can benefit boys at a wide range of schools.

We aim to do this by supporting initiatives that foster confidence and cohesion, personal growth and wellbeing, positive masculinity, social capital, and ultimately a sense of belonging among pupils. We focus particularly on students from under-resourced backgrounds. We fund and help develop initiatives that enhance the work of the school, experiences of the students and help inspire more parents to choose the school for their sons. Through the development of the school’s vast alumni network we also aim to build a community which can offer life-long support and connections for students. We seek to champion the achievements the school and its pupils and seek opportunities to speak to larger audiences about the wonderful work continually taking place in the school.

Working on behalf of the school community

The William Ellis Trust is a resource for all of the school community and we are building collaborative relationships with students, parents, alumni and staff of the school – as well as with external stakeholders in the wider London community. Through the academic years of 2025-28 we are committed to supporting three core areas of the school’s own strategic plan: boyhood, community and entrepreneurial skills. These fit within the Enabling Good Citizens stream of the school’s own strategy and interact with each other in multiple ways. You can learn more about our work within these three areas on their dedicated pages on the website.

These focus areas all reflect the current challenges and opportunities facing the school community and wider society. They enable us to make a significant contribution to positive outcomes both internally and externally.

We make funding available to the school each year through different streams;

  • Our Staff Innovation Fund which is open for applications the first month of each academic term and seeks to empower school staff to pursue ideas and passions that bring added benefits to students across our strategic focus

  • Our Leadership Fund is reserved for projects and initiatives that the Senior Leadership Team view as bringing the most impact on the overall school

  • Providing capital support such as our recent £200,000 seed funding pledge to the More than a Playground fundraising campaign – as well as a contribution to ongoing costs maintaining the condition of the school

  • Alongside these we reserve some of our annual funding budget to our general fund which is led by the director, trustees and also takes inspiration from a wide range of sources both within and external to the school.

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.