GCSE triumph as ARK Schools results improve again

‘If you want something then you go and get it.’

Holly, a student at Charter Academy in Portsmouth received an amazing set of GCSE results, despite not learning to read or write until she was 10. She passed 9 GCSEs with 2 A*s, 3 As, 2 Bs and 2 Cs, including an A* in English Literature and an A in English Language. She plans to stay at Charter Academy to study for her A-levels. She wants to go to Cambridge University and become a film director. Recently, she embarked on a five-week summer school residential to Phillips Exeter Academy, an award-winning school in New Hampshire, United States.”I didn’t learn to read and write until I was about nine, 10 years old, but that had been because I’d moved around a lot, I hadn’t really got a lot of schooling in. It wasn’t until I came to this school that I was actually diagnosed with dyslexia and that’s when they took action and I had an intervention class about once or twice every week and we built up my confidence in reading.Before each exam, we went through pretty intensive revision which was really, really great because I definitely needed that. Personally I’m quite heavily dyslexic and yet my favourite subject is English. The only way I could get round it was through the extracurricular help that I was given. I kind of have the theory that if you want something then you go and get it.”

‘The school changed dramatically.’

Usmaan Ali is a student at ARK Kings Academy in Kings Norton, Birmingham who has just got 2 As, 4Bs and 3 Cs in GCSEs including As in Maths and RE. He hopes to become the first doctor in his family and will continue his education at Solihull Sixth Form College before going on to university.

“My Granddad pushed me to become a doctor. I look up to my Granddad and I take care of him. I love taking care of people’s health and talking to them.

“School put on enrichment days where we received help on thinking about careers and applying for college. The school changed dramatically when we changed to ARK Kings Academy – we became more focused and more academic. When I looked around the class in Year 11 everyone was working and that was a major difference .”

‘I want to keep as many doors open as possible for my future.’

Arash Khallaghi from ARK William Parker Academy in Hastings was one of the pupils who got his GCSE results today. He passed 13 GCSEs getting 4 A*s, 6 As, 2 Bs and a C including A*s in Science and History. He said:

“The teachers were a massive help in the GCSEs because of the revision sessions they offered. ARK has been quite helpful too. They’ve completely regenerated parts of the school, and the library has been a massive help. There are so many books and good resources, and it’s a really calm space that you can study in. It was the best thing they could do because it meant that we could be independent – they helped us to help ourselves.”

‘I want to do well for personal satisfaction.’

Suravi Devkota, aged 16, from Helenswood Academy in Hastings has passed 11 GCSEs with 1 A*, 6 As 2 Bs and 2 Ds and wants to continue her education at sixth form.

“I feel very supported at Helenswood and the teachers are good. I think that’s one of the reasons I want to stay here, because I like a lot of the teachers. I wasn’t very good at history but Miss Warburton, my history teacher, was really good at encouraging me and using different techniques if one didn’t work.”

‘It’s not impossible, you just have to work hard.’

Ogheneochuko Toweh is the 16 year-old head boy at ARK Globe Academy in south London. He completed eleven GCSEs securing 4 As, 5 Bs and 2 Cs and was recently selected by ARK Schools to go on a residential five-week leadership and development programme at Phillips Exeter Academy. He is planning to study A levels in maths, sciences and humanities in Globe’s new sixth form.

“I used to think that kids from Southwark don’t really get the chance to go to university, much less Oxford and Cambridge. But then I did some research on the Ark website I read about kids from Globe and Walworth Academies who got offers from several universities. So it’s not impossible, you just have to work hard.

“Our Principal, Mr Jones, he really pushes the idea for us to go to university. He’s always telling us all that it is possible, and this trickles down through his leadership to us. He encourages us to be leaders in our own communities, being head boy or head girl.”