News23rd 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.
Other high-performing schools in the network included Ark Isaac Newton Academy (+0.98, top 2% of all schools) and Ark Bolingbroke (+0.87, top 4%).
Overall, Ark’s network of 20 secondaries in London, Birmingham, Portsmouth and Hastings, scored an average of +0.15.
We’re encouraged to see strong improvement in many schools, with some making significant leaps in recent years. Ark Greenwich improved from +0.18 in 2019 to +1.11 in 2023; Ark Acton, which had a progress score of -0.31 prior to joining the network in 2018, rose to +0.32 in 2023; and Ark Academy moved up from +0.04 in 2019 to +0.59 in 2023.
Significantly, Ark Academy and Ark Greenwich were both judged Outstanding last year, while Acton, which was previously in special measures, was rated Good by Ofsted in February 2023.
As a network, we are particularly focused on closing the gap for our disadvantaged pupils. This year, Ark students eligible for pupil premium had an average progress score of -0.09, compared to a national average for disadvantaged students of -0.57. This means that, on average, disadvantaged Ark students made nearly half a grade more progress than disadvantaged students nationally. Most importantly, this achievement is very nearly in line with the average progress of all students across the country, and is testament to the sustained hard work and commitment of both our staff and pupils.
Director of Secondary Education, Jerry Collins said,
“This year’s results show continued improvement in academic outcomes for our pupils. Our strong leaders and dedicated staff have made this success possible. We also believe the structure of our now well-embedded Education Model has been critical to this progress. We are focused on making even bigger strides to bring all our schools up to the standards of our most high-performing schools.”