Our Work
Twelve months into our new way of working, here is what we have built, and why.
William Ellis is Camden's only all-boys state secondary school, with a co-educational sixth form, and it sits in a borough of real opportunity alongside real inequality. More than half our pupils are classified as being from under-resourced backgrounds, twice the national average; 71% are from global majority backgrounds and 39% speak English as an additional language. Comparatively, 40% of secondary-aged pupils within Camden attend fee-paying schools, with all of the associated advantages this brings.
The William Ellis Trust exists to make sure none of that decides what a pupil goes on to do. We fund the educational experiences, pastoral support, and social and cultural opportunities, for the boys at William Ellis, and the girls who join for sixth form, that the school's own budget can't stretch to. We are committed to helping the school excel with the new enrichment benchmark framework coming into effect for the 2026-27 academic year. Read more about this here.
Working on behalf of the school community
We exist 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, and our achievements so far, 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. In 2026-27 some of this fund is allowing the school to partner with the multi award winning Football Beyond Borders.
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 as well as develop our our programmes—drawing inspiration from staff, students, families, alumni and the wider community
We work closely with the school while retaining our independence. We enjoy close working relationships with staff in the school, and are delighted to be a contributing member of the school community.
Izzy Jones, headteacher at William Ellis School
”The William Ellis Trust plays a vital role in enriching the educational experience we offer to our students. Through their three strategic objectives of boyhood, community and entrepreneurial skills, the Trust provides essential support that perfectly complements our school's values. Their boyhood work is helping our students develop the reflection and responsibility needed to navigate adolescence with confidence and build positive identities. The community initiatives they will fund are designed to foster respect and resilience by connecting our boys with alumni, local partners and wider networks to expand their horizons beyond the classroom. This focus on entrepreneurial skills helps to develop the resourcefulness and responsibility our students need to become confident, capable young men ready to take on leadership roles in their futures.
What makes the Trust's support particularly powerful is how their work creates opportunities that wouldn't otherwise be possible. From the Staff Innovation Fund that enables our teachers to pilot new approaches, to programmes that specifically support students from under-resourced backgrounds, the Trust embodies our founder's belief that a broad education combined with strong character development prepares students for success. Their commitment to helping our boys develop into tomorrow's leaders aligns perfectly with our mission of nurturing successful students and good citizens through strong relationships, and their support enables us to maintain the honest, robust and caring environment that defines William Ellis School.”