Newsletters

Summer Term - 19th June 2026

 

Welcome to our latest news update, which as we get closer to the end of term includes details about our end of year music festival, WESFest, recognition of the strength of our international outlook and languages education, and Year 7 and 10 Drama visits to University College London, and a year 9 Science visit to Kings College laboratories.

Reminder: Early close on Monday

On Monday, 22nd June, school will be closing early for a staff training session in the afternoon, focusing on how we strengthen tutoring and pastoral care for students as we move into the next academic year. Students will be dismissed at 12 noon and it is important that they attend from the beginning of the day on Monday. A Grab and Go lunch will be available from the canteen.

The Performing Arts Department presents...WESFest, Thursday 9th July

We hope families will join us for this celebration of performance and community as the school year draws to a close.

Intermediate International School Award 

We are very pleased to share the news that our school has been awarded Intermediate level of the British Council’s prestigious International School Award. This recognition is a testament to the dedication and excellence demonstrated by the MFL team and wider school community in pursuing international education highlighting the benefits of learning from across the globe.

Shannon West, Head of UK Schools for the British Council, said:

"William Ellis School’s international work has earned the school well-deserved recognition with the British Council International School Award - Intermediate Certificate.

We are proud and delighted to work with this great school. Many thanks to everyone for all their commitment to developing international work and sharing excellent classroom practice and resources. This is enriching education for its pupils, and their excellent collaborative projects with partner schools overseas are bringing the world into their classrooms. International work is key support for developing skills young people need to be globally aware citizens of the future.

Embedding an international ethos across a school can lead to International School Award Accreditation, the highest award level. Schools looking to join this supportive and engaging global network should contact us at the British Council.”

The Award is now available worldwide in countries such as Greece, India, and Nigeria. Over 6000 International School Awards have been presented to successful schools in the UK since the scheme began in 1999.'

The International School Award encourages and supports schools to develop:

• An international ethos embedded throughout the school
• A whole school approach to international work
• Collaborative curriculum-based work with international partner schools
• Year-round international activity
• Involvement of the wider community

Year 9 Chemistry Trip to KCL

Ms Rowland writes:

On Monday the 15th of June, Year 9 Triple Science Pupils visited the King's College London chemistry teaching laboratories.

In the first session, they got to use the same equipment as undergraduate chemistry students to extract caffeine from tea, coffee and diet coke. First, they added ethyl ethanoate to their drink. The caffeine preferentially dissolves in the ethyl ethanoate (organic layer) over the water (aqueous layer). The pupils then used a separatory funnel to separate the organic layer and aqueous layer, utilising fume hoods to release the excess gases. When their organic layer was isolated, they dried it using magnesium sulfate. They filtered out the magnesium sulfate, then attached their round bottomed flasks to a rotary evaporator which uses negative pressure to evaporate off the ethyl ethanoate. This left them with pure caffeine crystals, which they weighed.

In the second session, they created a hypothesis as to the order of caffeine concentration of eight common place drinks. They then used UV/Vis Spectrometers to analyse the caffeine concentration. The caffeine absorbs characteristic wavelengths of ultra violet and visible light which can be detected and converted into concentration data. Everyone was shocked that prime hydration has no caffeine! Several groups had the same score for their hypotheses, so as a tie breaker, pupils estimated the molecular mass of caffeine under time pressure. Three groups attempted to use the periodic table, but it was team 67, with their guess of 167 that came the closest to the Mr of 194.

Thank you to the pupils, Mr Harris, Mr Sales and the KCL chemistry outreach team for making this trip possible!

German Exchange Day

Ms Rodgers writes:

On Thursday 11^th June, 18 students from Marianne-Weber Gymnasium in Lemgo, Germany, came to visit our school and spend time getting to know our Year 8 & Year 10 German learners (their English text book features William Ellis School!)

Prior to the visit, Y10 students communicated by old fashioned letter writing techniques, and then got to meet their pen-pal in person!

We had a ‘speed speaking’ style activity during p.2 & 4, a presentation for our Year 8 students by the German students about their school life in Germany, and a very friendly Germany v England handball game during p.3 (Lemgo is very famous for handball, they tell me) Despite this, England still won the mini match! We also had a mini game where students wanted to be in mixed teams with the German students, which was lovely, although the German teachers & myself then didn’t know who to cheer for!

It was such a positive experience for our students, making their language learning experience more authentic, and helping them forge international relationships. I’ve even heard on the Y10 grapevine that there is now a London/Lemgo WhatsApp group where they are all regularly communicating in ‘Germ-lish’!

This Week's Drama Events

Ms Hughes writes:

This week some of our keenest Year 7 actors visited UCL’s Institute of Education to take part in drama workshops with student teachers. The watched performances which invited students up on their feet to contribute to the work. One performance featured our own student teacher, Ms Carpenter.

The boys performed thoughtfully and with confidence. Well done!

Year 10 students also got the chance to experience an interactive drama performance as they were part of the student teachers’ schools tour.

I was so impressed with how the Year 10s threw themselves into the performance. The actors told me they were the liveliest and most enthusiastic audience they’d had!

Free careers event places for 16 to 25 year-olds 

This year’s OffScript Generation Summit is taking place in Camden on Saturday 26 September. OffScript is the day young people aged 16 to 25, parents and teachers spend in a room with the founders, creators and operators building careers right now. It’s a great chance to hear honest stories, take part in hands-on workshops and one-to-one sessions, as well as to explore practical next steps.
Camden Council has secured 500 free tickets for local students. Please apply to get the free tickets and register your interest. Apply here.

 

Online bystanding training – help keep our communities safe

Sign up to our free bystanding training course to help create safe spaces for everyone. Delivered by The Suzy Lamplugh Trust, this 30min online course will show you how to recognise harmful behaviours and intervene safely when witnessing potentially harmful situations, including sexual harassment.

The training is on Thursday 25 June, 12pm to 12.30pm and is part of our ongoing work to make the borough a safer place for everyone, particularly women and girls - calling on everyone to help tackle inappropriate behaviour.

This is a free course for anyone who works, lives or studies in Camden. Sign up here for the training.

 

SEND Drop‑In for Young People (14–25), Tuesday 7 July

This relaxed, youth‑friendly session at Somers Town Youth Centre, 134 Chalton St, London NW1 1RX on Tuesday 7 July, 4-7pm is designed for young people with additional needs or disabilities (diagnosed or undiagnosed) who may want support, advice, or simply to explore what’s available locally.

Young people will be able to:

• Get advice and guidance on education, employment, and next steps
• Speak directly with services in an informal setting, like SENDIASS, SEND & Inclusion Service, Connexions, Unity Works and Disability Job Hub
• Find out about local opportunities and support
• Take part in activities at the Sommers Town Youth Centre while they’re there.

To register please click here

 

Brandon Centre's Virtual ADHD Parenting Support Group - September 2026 

The Brandon Centre are pleased to announce that the next virtual ADHD Parenting Support Programme will begin in September 2026.

This programme is open to parents and carers in Camden and Islington who have children aged 5–12 years.

Who can join?

• Parents/carers of children with a confirmed ADHD diagnosis
• Parents/carers of children currently on the waiting list for assessment (able to join from Session 2)

Programme details:

• Delivered online via Microsoft Teams
• Morning sessions: 10:00 – 11:30am
• Up to 6 weekly sessions
• For parents/carers only (children do not attend)
• Participants are asked to have their camera on and audio enabled during sessions

See here for the leaflet.

 

Brandon Centre's Love & Limits Parenting Support Groups 

The next virtual Love and Limits Parenting Support Programme will be running in September 2026. 

The programme is designed for parents and carers of teenagers (aged 12–16) who may be experiencing challenging behaviour.

Programme details:

• Open to residents of Camden or Islington, or those registered with a GP in either borough
• Delivered virtually via Microsoft Teams
• Six weekly sessions
• Morning sessions: 10:00am – 11:30am
• Evening sessions: 6pm – 7:30pm

Please note:

• Sessions are for parents/carers only
• Participants are expected to join with cameras on and audio enabled, as sessions are interactive
• A private, uninterrupted space is required to ensure full participation

Please see here for the 14th September programme.

Please see here for the 16th September programme

 

Yours faithfully,

Izzy Jones

Headteacher