News

Lucy Heller
Friday 15th December 2023

This article was written by Ark CEO Lucy Heller, originally published on the Financial Times on Saturday 9 December 2023.

Ark Walworth at UKSA
Tuesday 28th November 2023

 
We know that our schools and the families they serve are at the forefront of the cost-of-living crisis, and that tight budgets mean extra activities and improvements are often sacrificed. Where we can, we are working with funders, partners and volunteers to ensure our schools continue to be dynamic and enriching spaces for students to enjoy every day.

Isaac Newton Academy
Monday 20th November 2023

The hard work and high aspirations of students and staff across Ark are reflected in the final destinations data for 2023 school leavers.
An impressive 83 percent of our Year 13 graduates accepted a place at university, compared to 64 percent nationally in 2022.
Furthermore, 47 percent of all Key Stage 5 leavers have gone on to study at a top third university. This means that Ark students are at least three times more likely to progress to top third providers compared to students nationally.

Friday 10th November 2023

Students and staff across the Ark network paused at 11am today to mark Remembrance Day. Our schools in Birmingham, Hastings, London and Portsmouth participated in two minutes of silence to honour fallen soldiers. In their special assemblies, schools also reflected through poetry readings, musical performances and the laying of wreaths.

Monday 23rd October 2023

Exceptional Progress 8 performance has placed two Ark secondary schools in the top 1% of all schools across the country.
In results released by the Department for Education, Ark Greenwich (+1.11) and Ark King Solomon Academy (+1.06) scored more than a full grade above the national average of -0.03. This means that students at these schools are, on average, achieving more than a grade higher across all their subjects than their peers nationally.

place2be
Tuesday 10th October 2023

Ark has taken a comprehensive approach to mental health and wellbeing in collaboration with Place2Be. The network-wide partnership is the first of its kind for a large multi-academy trust.
A dedicated Place2Be Account Manager will work closely with Ark’s Director of Pastoral and Inclusion and Senior Mental Health Leads across all 39 schools. Staff will come together on a termly basis to receive training from Place2Be, share best practices, and form a collective network as agents of change within our schools.

Tuesday 10th October 2023

Clore Duffield Foundation funding to support cultural learning hubs in Ark schools
Major arts and education funder, the Clore Duffield Foundation, is supporting a pilot project with Ark to develop a new approach to arts education. Over the next year, Ark will work with local and national artists and arts organisations to give all pupils the chance to develop their creativity. 

Amit Hathi, Kolleen Ocson, Neil Debb and Shiraz Khan
Friday 29th September 2023

During August and September, Ark has been celebrating heritage months for our colleagues from South, East and Southeast Asian backgrounds. These dedicated heritage months provide a unique opportunity to learn from our multicultural team, and to honour the diverse histories, traditions, and contributions of Asian communities.
We spoke to a few of our colleagues from South, East and Southeast Asian backgrounds to understand some of the ways in which their heritage has shaped them and continues to influence their work today.

Results day 2023
Friday 15th September 2023

Primary
Our primary results were a particular highlight, with Ark’s KS2 performance surpassing the national average by 16 percentage points. Across the network, 75 percent of pupils achieved the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, compared to 59 percent nationally. While there has sadly been no improvement in the national figures compared to 2022, our schools have built on the success of last year and raised outcomes by a further two percentage points.

Greenwich Free School
Thursday 24th August 2023

Students in 20 schools across the Ark network are receiving their GCSE results today.
As with A level results, the national trend has seen GCSE results this year brought back in line with pre-Covid standards. Ark has improved against the 2019 benchmark, with 64 percent of students achieving grades 9-4 in English and Maths (up two percentage points on 2019) and 44 percent of students achieving grades 9-5 in English and Maths (up four percentage points on 2019).

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