Ark Schools

UID 2157·Companies House 05112090·Incorporated April 2004·Compare

Schools

Flags

174

49 high severity

Finance: 2025/26Ofsted: Apr 2026Performance: 2025/26Workforce: 2026/27Attendance: 2025/26

Total income

£281.9m

30,013 pupils

Avg staff costs

74.5%

of income

Avg reserves

-0.9%

of income

Avg absence

More metrics

Avg FSM

51.0%

free school meals

Capacity

84%

30,013 / 35,673 places

Total admin cost

£28.8m

£958 per pupil

Trust overview

8 of 39 schools report staff costs above the DfE's 78% review point. Staffing ratios reflect phase mix, curriculum and local context as much as efficiency.

12 of 39 schools report negative revenue reserves at year-end. A year-end snapshot can reflect planned spend-down, in-trust transfers or timing; the trust's audited accounts give the fuller picture.

Trust-average reserves have fallen about 2 percentage points over two years of published returns.

Absence is above the national average in 20 of 39 schools. Attendance tracks intake and local circumstances as well as school practice.

13 schools report persistent absence above 20%, a level the DfE prioritises for additional support.

38 of 39 inspected schools meet the expected standard or above.

2 of these inspections used the new Report Card framework; its scale is not directly comparable with legacy grades.

Generated from published DfE and Ofsted data — year-end snapshots that cannot show in-year plans, restructuring or local context. Reference points are DfE review thresholds, not judgements.

Ofsted & results

Ofsted

97%meeting standard or above

Across 39 graded schools, including 2 under the new Report Card framework. The two frameworks are not directly comparable.

Sub-judgements — earlier framework

Quality of education

100% Good+

Outst. 11Good 17

Behaviour & attitudes

93% Good+

Outst. 12Good 14RI 2

Personal development

100% Good+

Outst. 11Good 17

Leadership & management

100% Good+

Outst. 17Good 22

Performance (trust avg)

Key Stage 4

Attainment 8

48.0

+1.8

vs national

Key Stage 2

Expected standard (RWM)

76.4%

+15.4pp

vs national

National averages: 2023/24

Trust details

Address1 Edcity Edcity Walk, London, W12 7TF

Companies House05112090

Incorporated26 April 2004

Report Card inspections (new framework)

About these grades

Grade distribution across 2 schoolsinspected under Ofsted's 5-point scale (from November 2025). Not directly comparable with the earlier 1–4 sub-judgements above.

Curriculum & teaching

Strong standard 2

Achievement

Strong standard 2

Inclusion

Strong standard 1Exceptional 1

Attendance & behaviour

Strong standard 2

Growth

Year	Schools	Pupils	Total income	Total expenditure	Avg staff costs %	Avg reserves %
2021/22	39	29,440	£219.3m	£199.9m	67.6%	2.7%
2022/23	39	29,909	£242.0m	£245.1m	72.3%	0.9%
2023/24	39	30,106	£258.3m	£253.6m	73.0%	-1.3%
2024/25partial	39	30,013	£281.9m	£274.1m	74.5%	-0.9%
2025/26	39	29,743	—	—	—	—

Central services

2024/25

Centralisation

2.0%

of total trust spend

Typical MAT centralisation ranges from 3-7% of total trust spend. Figures below 2% may indicate limited central coordination; above 10% warrants review of value for money.

CS expenditure

£5,472,000

CS staff costs

£18,388,000

CS income

£2,880,000

Admin & clerical-£116,000

Teaching staff£16,491,000

ICT£2,010,000

Premises£1,241,000

Legal & professional£0

Auditor costs£178,000

Governance

Source: Companies House

Board of trustees

Accounts to Aug 2025

8 current directors · Average tenure: 11.1 years

Directors / Trustees (8)

Claire Jayne Musgrave

director·1 year

Richard King

director·3 years

Fiona Jane Forbes

director·4 years

Christina Jean Alexandrou

director·8 years

Gerard Griffin

director·15 years

Lucy Lauris Heller

director·16 years

Anthony Geraint Williams

director·18 years

Stanley Lord Fink

director·19 years

Company Secretary

Kathryn Anna Godfrey

secretary·1 year

23 former officers — most recent departure: Sept 2024

Megan Mannion

secretary·2 years·Resigned Sept 2024

Riaz Ali Shah

director·6 years·Resigned Dec 2022

Elizabeth Dawson

secretary·6 years·Resigned May 2024

Daniel Labbad

director·7 years·Resigned Feb 2023

Joanna Avril Greenslade

director·7 years·Resigned May 2023

Michael Sandall

Member schools (39)

39 schools|39 with risk flags|32 high severity

School	URN	Phase	Risk flags
Ark Academy	135600	All-through	workforce pressurehigh staff costs
Ark Acton Academy	146318	Secondary	workforce pressurehigh absence
Ark Alexandra Academy	139821	Secondary	high absencein year deficitworkforce pressureofsted concernhigh staff costs
Ark All Saints Academy	139718	Secondary	workforce pressure
Ark Atwood Primary Academy	137323	Primary	workforce pressurein year deficithigh staff costs
Ark Ayrton Primary Academy	139713	Primary	workforce pressurehigh staff costs
Ark Bentworth Primary Academy	138680	Primary	workforce pressure
Ark Blacklands Primary Academy	141021	Primary	workforce pressurehigh staff costs
Ark Blake Academy	147832	Secondary	high absenceworkforce pressureofsted concern
Ark Bolingbroke Academy	138267	Secondary	workforce pressure
Ark Boulton Academy	140014	Secondary	workforce pressurein year deficithigh absence
Ark Brunel Primary Academy	139645	Primary	in year deficitworkforce pressure
Ark Burlington Danes Academy	131752	Secondary	workforce pressurehigh absence
Ark Byron Primary Academy	142110	Primary	workforce pressurein year deficitperformance decline
Ark Castledown Primary Academy	144083	Primary	workforce pressure
Ark Charter Academy	135965	Secondary	high absenceworkforce pressurehigh staff costs
Ark Conway Primary Academy	137331	Primary	in year deficitworkforce pressure
Ark Dickens Primary Academy	141020	Primary	workforce pressurehigh staff costs
Ark Elvin Academy	141019	Secondary	workforce pressurehigh absence
Ark Evelyn Grace Academy	135389	Secondary	in year deficithigh absenceworkforce pressure