Impact3rd September 2024

Turning around underachievement in Hastings

Ark’s three primary schools in Hastings serve communities in some of the most deprived wards in the country. Prior to joining Ark, the schools had outcomes well below the national average.

Within their first year of transition, all three schools achieved results significantly above the national average and have maintained these high outcomes, placing them among the top performing schools in the country.

Since joining the Ark network, each of the three primary schools has seen improved results in the number of children reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths:

Lorraine Clarke is Ark’s Regional Director for Hastings and has led change across the three primary schools.

The reason our outcomes are so strong is because of ​our approach to developing teachers and future leaders. ​Our expectations of all staff, across all the Hastings schools, is to support & learn from each other.

Since 2016, all senior leaders across the primaries have ​been homegrown talent. We see ourselves as one Ark, one Hastings, four schools.

Lorraine Clarke OBE Regional Director

Our approach

While each Ark school has a unique ethos and character, they all subscribe to the same set of core principles to ensure that our students receive a strong education that sets them up for future success.

Find out more about our approach