Ark Kings Academy has been reported to be the most improved in country
Figures released by the Department for Education show that Ark Kings Academy in Birmingham is the most improved sponsored academy in the whole country over two years.
Since 2013, GCSE results at Ark Kings are up 27 percentage points, while the national average for all schools is down by 6 points.
Sister school Ark St Alban’s Academy in Highgate also made progress and comes in the top 20 most improved sponsored academies in the country over two years. In Birmingham, Ark Kings is the most improved with Ark St Alban’s coming in 7th out of the 72 sponsored academies reporting GCSE results in both years.
Principal Roger Punton said, “We have a rigorous focus on standards and high expectations for all pupils at Ark Kings Academy. As these results show, we are making rapid progress but there is much more to do and we are working hard to ensure that our results continue to climb year on year. We have also just started work on our new school building signalling a very bright future for Ark Kings Academy.”
Success for Sufiyan
This summer, Ark Kings Academy student Sufiyan got one step closer to realising his dream of studying Medicine at university after getting six A*s and four As at GCSE. He was the first student at Ark Kings to get Further Maths GCSE and is now studying A levels in Biology, Chemistry Maths and Further Maths at sixth form college.
After receiving his results Sufiyan said, “I’m really proud – and really happy. I’m amazed – this is good! All of the hard work has paid off. I’ve always wanted to be a doctor and this is the first step. My family are going to be really proud when I tell them!”
In 2015, the number of students achieving five A*- C grades, including English and maths, reached 51% at Ark Kings Academy, up 5% on 2014. Student progress is now significantly above the national average with 87% of students making expected or better than expected progress in English, and 73% in maths – 62% of students achieved grades A* – C in these core subjects. There were also notable successes in Art with 92% of students achieving A* – C, 77% in Science and 70% in ICT.
Speaking to Schools week, the Department for Education said sponsored academies were overturning years of poor performance. A spokesperson said, “Every pupil deserves an excellent education and hundreds of schools are being turned around thanks to the help of strong academy sponsors.”
