Impact3rd March 2026

Climbing the mountain to university: How Ark King Solomon Academy is transforming young lives

Ark King Solomon Academy (KSA) in central London was founded in 2007 with the mission of providing “a rigorous and transformational education” to every single pupil – preparing them for success at university and beyond.

Ark King Solomon Academy

The Outstanding rated school provides nursery, primary and secondary education to nearly 1,300 children aged from two to 18. Two-thirds (66 percent) of the pupils are eligible for free school meals (FSM).

The school’s aspirational approach is working. This summer, 82 percent of KSA Year 13 students secured places at top third universities – including King’s College London, UCL and the LSE – compared to 40 percent nationally. And 26 percent have gone on to a top 15 university, compared to 16 percent across the country.

KSA Principal Beth Humphreys explains how the school’s innovative approach – combined with support from Ark’s dedicated central careers and destinations team – is making a real difference:

“At KSA we believe that a great education is the best way to address societal inequality and to enable every child to reach their full potential and thrive.

“When you have grown up in financial hardship, you want to make a safe and secure life for yourself and your family in your future. University and degree-level apprenticeships provide that pathway. Going to a top third university dramatically increases the chances of someone on FSM being a top 20 percent earner by the age of 30 – a jump from six percent to 59 percent.”

“Alongside academic success, there’s also the whole range of opportunities and social experiences that university brings – like meeting new people, joining a drama society or playing for a sports team.

“We want all our students to have the choice of continuing their education after Year 13, so our whole school culture is built around the idea of ‘climbing the mountain’ to university. I think it is helpful to have that tangible goal – right from when children join us in nursery, and we talk about taking our first steps up that mountain.”

University visits

“We aim to get our students excited about university from day one. All our Year 1-11 classes are named after university cities, and we name each year group by the year in which they will graduate from sixth form.

“We run annual residential trips for every pupil from Year 5. Our Year 6s go to Oxford for four days and alongside some outward bounds activities, they spend time at the university, touring colleges, eating lunch in college, attending an explosive chemistry lecture, playing university sports and going punting on the river.

“Our Year 7s have a residential at Warwick University, experiencing all the joy of campus life, our Year 8s go to Bristol and so on. These trips are about equity of access and showing all our children that university is cool and fun.

“We have built a strong relationship with King’s College London University. Our students in Key Stages 3, 4 and 5 have the opportunity to participate in the brilliant King’s Scholars programme, where they learn about university life, explore a diverse range of subjects, and discover the different career paths available after university.

“We also include university in our curriculum, so our students are taught about what university is like, the value of degree level apprenticeships, choices about living at home or not, and whether to apply to bigger or smaller universities. And we have a display of our alumni throughout the school – with their grades and destinations – to inspire students.”

A dedicated careers lead – and central support

“At KSA, we have a full-time university and careers coordinator who supports students with their next steps. She meets every Year 10 and Year 11 for one-to-one guidance, with extra support for those at risk of not meeting their goals.

“She runs our partnership with the Future Frontiers programme, helping all at-risk Year 11s plan for the future – whether that’s through attending open days, completing applications, gaining relevant work experience or accessing Connexions for advice and guidance.

“She also works with all Year 12 and Year 13 students to support them through the UCAS process and apprenticeship applications. In the last couple of years, our students have moved onto degree-level apprenticeships with Mace, FTI Consulting and Waites.

“In addition, we are supported by Ark’s dedicated central careers and destinations team, who provide expert guidance, resources and training to ensure every school in our network delivers a high-quality careers programme.

“They support the continuous development of our approach to careers education: they help us analyse data, share best practice from inside and outside of the network, and create opportunities – from employer partnerships to support with apprenticeship applications and university access – so that all our students can make informed, ambitious choices about their future.”

Careers Week and work experience

“We always make a big thing of Careers Week in March, to show our students the range of opportunities that are available to them. Each member of staff reaches out to two or three friends or family members to come into school and share what they are doing.

“There are events running throughout the week, including an employer fair, speed networking and workshops, as well as a range of guest speakers in every class across primary and secondary.

“Our Year 9s also do work shadowing for two days, and our Year 10s have a work experience week which includes at least two trips, two employer workshops, a research project and tailored CV writing sessions.

Investing in the future

“We have high expectations for all our pupils and believe that with great teaching and a lot of love and care, every child can fulfil their potential.

“Our approach means pupils feel safe and secure in the school – but also confident to contribute to the future of the school and their community.

“In the long term, we are committed to playing our part in removing the educational disadvantage in our country. We strive to create role models and leaders in our community, and through them contribute to a safer, fairer, and happier society.”

An inspiration for the network

KSA’s approach and results are being used as a model for other schools in the Ark network.

Ark St Alban’s Academy in Birmingham, where 70 percent of students are eligible for FSM, has recently extended the school’s careers curriculum with a careers programme inspired by the KSA framework.

The programme provides a sequence of activities from Years 7–13 including careers advice, alumni engagement, teacher stories, trips, visits and work experience.

This approach is already having an impact. Sixth form students at St Alban’s celebrated the school’s best ever A-Level and BTEC results in August – and 84 percent of them are now studying at a top third university.