Newsletters

Spring Term - 27th March 2026

Welcome to our latest news update, including some fantastic, sunny photos from our Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award practice expedition, an update on Year 11 revision support over the Easter holidays, the Camden Art Biennale and an array of music and drama trips from the last few weeks.

We wish all students and families a great Easter break. We return to a normal Week A timetable on Monday 13th April, and look forward to seeing students then.

Year 11 Easter Revision - FINAL REMINDER 

Year 11 students have been sent the timetable for revision sessions here at school over the holiday, and details of how to sign up for sessions. We hope to see as many of them as possible attending sessions for their GCSE subjects. Year 11 parents have now also been sent personalised exam timetables for the summer term via the MCAS app.

 Students will not need to wear school uniform, but will need to bring drinks and a snack as the kitchen won't be open during the holiday.

An appeal for reading buddies/reading mentors

Ms Damms writes:

The school is keen to involve families in our drive to help Year 7 and 8 students become confident, experienced readers.

We would be very grateful for offers of help from you if you think you, or a member of your wider family circle, could offer your time as a reading companion for a Year 7 or 8 student in their timetabled library lesson. This would involve reading alongside a student or a pair of students in their library lessons – an hour when students are encouraged to explore new novels and short stories. A number of students would benefit from one-to-one support and need extra help learning to read fluently.

Before Covid put an end to such practice, we had two volunteers who came into some lessons – one the grandparent of a former student, one a retired teacher who is local to the school. We have not had any outside assistance since and we would like to revive the practice as students found the experience so valuable.

We appreciate that everyone has busy lives but if you or a contact are available at any of the times listed below, we would love to hear from you. The school would see to all safety check paperwork and screening.

The times we are seeking volunteers for are:

WEEK A: 

Friday Period 1 (8.50-9.50am) and Period 5 (2.05-3.05pm)

WEEK B:

Monday and Tuesday Period 5 (2.05-3.05pm)

Wednesday and Friday Period 4 (12.15-1.10pm)

Friday Period 5 (2.05-3.05pm)

Please email ldamms@williamellis.camden.sch.uk if you can help.

Thank you for thinking about this.

Eco Club Rewilding Project Update

Mr Mangham and Year 10 parent Jane, who organised the project, write:

Eco Club has been regularly travelling to Kent over the last few months to participate in a rewilding project.

February's visit was all about soil and the students were fortunate to have Kelly Moss join us for the day. Kelly is a wild food foraging teacher who also has a deep passion for soil science and micro biology. Kelly began by teaching the boys all about soil and the animals, fungi and bacteria that make up this hidden world beneath our feet. The boys learnt that healthy soil is teeming
with life - a single teaspoon of healthy soil can contain more microbes than there
are people on the planet!

The task of the day was to collect a sample of healthy living soil from the
woodland and wildflower meadow and compare this with soil taken from a
degraded over grazed location on site that is at the beginning of its rewilding
journey, a journey that the club have been helping to implement.

The degraded land had very basic bacteria only, indicating that work was needed to once again create healthy soil in this area that had been exposed to lots of fertilizers was a monoculture of grass and been heavily overgrazed; this was in stark contrast to the other soil samples which had not been exposed to these practises for a long time, if at all, and were rich in life. 

On 10th March the group had their last trip to Kent for this project and learnt about native reptiles and how to survey them. To establish a survey system on
site the group set about making reptile refugia out of corrugated iron. For fun the group decorated these and were joined by artist Sophia Marinkov Jones, who lent a hand. We then placed these refugia out on site in areas that reptiles - like grass snakes - would like: near ponds for food, next to hay stacks for heat when laying eggs and near scrub to hide.

The day ended with a campfire celebration to thank the group for all their hard
work. Certificates were handed out, marshmallows and sausages were
cooked, and woodcookies (round wooden discs that the boys cut themselves) were decorated to take home as a piece of nature art.

Meanwhile at school eco Club has had a great Spring Term and been busy with all sorts of activities. Rubbish has been cleared from the site, the hedgehog feeding station has been maintained and the pond has been surveyed to ensure its nutrient level is correct. As hoped the levels were very low due to the pond only being filled with rainwater. This should help suppress algae growth and keep the pond appealing to amphibians like the frog we saw visiting.

Boys have also been making signage for the area and have carved beautiful spoons and spatulas. 

Year 7 'Me Myself and I' Project

Ms Kendall writes:

These Year 7 Art students are proudly holding their final pieces from their project Me, Myself & I.

The students all did a drawing from a sculpture by Naum Gabo and then filled in each section in a different way. This combined the skills they have been learning in tone, blending, colour & mark making and their knowledge of Aztec & Egyptian patterns.

Year 9 Art Camden Biennale Project 

Ms Madsen writes:

On Thursday the 19th of March Year 9 students worked with a graffiti artist from On The Level Productions to create a mural in the playground. This was inspired by the artist Ben Eine, who students had studied this year. Ben Eine makes typography-based work inspired by lettering from fairground signwriters.

Students worked using stencils in layers and spray cans. We were able to take part in this project as we won funding from Camden Learning as part of the Art Biennale which takes place every two years across the borough.

The mural looks amazing, and has really improved the top playground as well as providing a reminder to students of the schools five 'R' values. Well done Year 9s!

Primary School Art Collaboration

On Monday this week, Year five students from Eleanor Palmer school visited our art department, also as part of the Biennale. They learned about the William Ellis Oak tree logo and the history of the Gospel Oak tree. Next they created a collagraph print of an oak leaf and a badge with the Oak tree logo.

The Year 5 students worked really hard to make both things in just one hour with Ms Madsen and were supported by our fantastic art technician Tomric and our art PGCE teacher Ms Peel. They enjoyed their visit and we look forward to welcoming some of them in Year 7! 

London Youth Games Achievements

Mr Levitt writes:

This week the William Ellis indoor athletics team represented Camden in the final of the London Youth Games. They received this honour by winning two regional competitions earlier in the year.

The final was a spectacle of sporting excellence, with the other London boroughs represented by their strongest school too.

Our boys performed superbly under pressure, the team winning one of the relay races. There were some outstanding individual performances too. Joshua placed very highly in the triple jump and Charlie put in another excellent performance on the speed bounce.

The final result will be announced after the Easter holiday. But no matter what the result; the boys couldn't have put more effort into their events. They did us, and Camden, proud.

As we move into the summer term, look out for athletics club after school and athletics competitions in the borough and beyond.

The Summer Sports Club timetable in full can be found here.

Drama Round-up

Ms Hughes writes:

Box House Theatre Workshop

At the end of February, 30 keen actors in Year 9 took part in a workshop with Box House Theatre. Students learnt more about abstract drama techniques, Box House Theatre's signature platform theatre style, and honed their skills in naturalism. The day ended in a whole-group improvisation task in which they had to decide a plan in the face of an impending nuclear attack!

The aim of this workshop was for Year 9 students to learn more about drama styles and techniques, and to see what GCSE drama will look like. Box House Theatre were very complimentary about the students, and commended their creativity, focus and boundless energy!

'My Neighbour Totoro' Trip

In early March, some Year 7 students visited the Gillian Lynne Theatre in the West End to see the production 'My Neighbour Totoro'. This is an adaptation of the Studio Ghibli film of the same name. We had a great time - here are some reviews:

Herbie - I like the story and music.
Jack - I found the characters funny.
Jahinoor - I liked the reveal of the big Totoro and how funny it was when he smiled.
Duke - I thought it was very impressive how they used props and puppets.
George - They had incredible hand gestures and facial expressions, and the puppetry make it look just like the movie.

Year 10 Romeo & Juliet Trip

Ms Hughes also writes:

On Friday 20th March, all Year 10 students visited the Globe Theatre to watch a production of Romeo and Juliet. This production was made for young people, and brought the play into the 21st century.

This performance will support students' study of the play in English, as it forms part of their GCSE literature exam. This Friday, 30 students will also have the opportunity to take part in an in-school workshop on the play to develop their knowledge.

Music & Drama Performance Sharing

Ms Hughes writes:

This week the music and drama departments held an informal lunchtime sharing of the fantastic work done in students’ piano, brass and acting lessons. We saw monologues, a brass duet and solo piano performances.

We will be arranging another sharing in the summer term, featuring more of our wonderful actors and musicians!

One-to-one music Lessons at William Ellis

This is a reminder that William Ellis offers one-to-one music lessons for ALL students. We offer all the instruments in the image, including new additions of singing and music technology. Please visit camdenmusic.speedadmin.dk/play/catalogue/courses to sign your son up for lessons! If he is entitled to Free School Meals, lessons are discounted to £20 per 10 lesson block - please indicate this in your application.

Writer’s visit

Ms Danova-Balabhadra, EAL Coordinator, writes:

This week, our most dedicated members of the Year 7 and Year 8 Reading Club were treated to a visit from writer Robert Yurchesyn. Students learned what Robert was like as a child and heard about his relationship with books and reading.

Despite being a reluctant reader, he developed a strong interest in Greek myths and the natural world, which later became key sources of inspiration in his writing. Robert read an extract from his novel Transformations and shared insights into the writer’s craft—the techniques and stylistic choices writers use to convey meaning, evoke emotion, and engage readers.

There were also engaging discussions on the theme of ‘transformations’, and students had the opportunity to write the opening of their own stories, imagining themselves being transformed into a variety of things.

Here are a few examples of students’ creative work:

Mali, 7W

“I woke up feeling small; that didn’t feel normal. I had feathers, a beak, a tail. That’s when I found out I had turned into a kingfisher. I freaked out but as I was to get out of bed there was no one to be seen, just me and an empty house, I thought I was dreaming………………. I didn’t know how to fly. That wasn’t easy.. I mean it looks easy, right? I kept trying, never giving up. Then in a blink of an eye, there I went up and up and away. I was a bird! How was that possible? I had to go on a mission to find my parents. I flew for hours and hours and when I landed, someone came up to me and said ‘You are beautiful. I thought she was making things up!’ A feather dropped and I looked up. A bright coloured bird reflected in the sun. Something caught my eye. Someone appeared: my mother.”

Anwar, 8F

“I woke up in the morning and saw myself soaring across the universe. Seeing planets and other stars passing by, I thought that was a dream. I could see everything, the Milky Way, the biggest planet Jupiter, alien spaceships. The sad thing was that I couldn’t feel anything, and I couldn’t smell anything because there was nothing in space, and I was just a sailing comet.”

Ronnie, 8W

“One morning I woke up and I was standing on four legs. I felt shorter and covered in a lot of hair. I also had a better sense of hearing and smell than usual, which was unusual. I was standing in the forest and felt hunger. There was smell of blood coming from behind a tree .”

RRSA & Mental Health Week Assembly – Celebrating a Week of Wellbeing and Rights

Ms Lagard writes:

Last week, our school came together for a special Rights Respecting School Award (RRSA) and Mental Health Week assembly, creating a powerful moment of reflection, learning, and community spirit.

The assembly focused on the importance of every child’s right to be heard, supported, and cared for, echoing key articles from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Students explored how mental health is a core part of their wellbeing and their rights, and how our school community can work together to create a safe, respectful environment for all.

The assembly, beautifully presented by our RRSA Student Leaders, reminded us all that mental health matters every day, and that we each have a role to play in lifting others up. It was inspiring to see so many students engage thoughtfully and respectfully, embodying the values of a Rights Respecting School.
We are incredibly proud of our young people for their honesty, maturity, and commitment to building a stronger, more compassionate school community.

Easter Holiday Cooking Sessions at WES (Ages 6-14)

Ms Koumi, a member of staff at William Ellis, will be running her own small, hands-on, cooking sessions this Easter holiday in the Food Tech room.

These sessions offer children a relaxed and supportive space to cook a range of tasty and healthy, sweet and savoury dishes, working independently at their own station. It's a lovely opportunity for them to build confidence in the kitchen, learn new skills and enjoy what they've made.

Sessions run from 9:30am-3:00 pm. There are day bookings and whole week bookings available. While these sessions are run by Ms Koumi independently of the school, there are concessions available for William Ellis students and their siblings.

For further information and booking, please click here.

Yours faithfully,

Izzy Jones

Headteacher