Ark Academy - The School Companion

Ark Academy

Brent · HA9 9JR

General information All-through School · 3-18 years Who goes here 1639 pupils, 41.5% FSM

Educational attainment Ofsted report card

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 9.5% on SEN support Behaviour 4.9% absence rate Staff 25.8% turnover Financials £8,639 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Ark Academy

General Information

Address: Forty Avenue, Wembley, HA9 9JR – View on map
Phone: 02083854370
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Ms Delia Smith
Age range: 3-18 years
Sixth form: Yes
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: Yes

Who goes here

1639 pupils out of 1650 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 536
% eligible for free school meals: 41.5%
Pupil mix: 9 in 10 (more mixed than the Brent average)
English as an additional language: 48% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 25.8% a year (Brent 20.6%, typical in England 15.5%)
Where they went: about 39% moved to another school, 61% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Brent: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 42 (2.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.7)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 1
Suspensions for bullying: 53 (2.5 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.9)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 7 (0.3 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.8)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state secondary schools in Brent, not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 4.9%
Persistently absent pupils: 11.2%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 9.5%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 3.5%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Speech, language and communications needs: 56 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 35 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 24 pupils
Other difficulty or disability: 12 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 10 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 21 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 17 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 6 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 5 pupils
Physical disability: 3 pupils

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Ofsted report card April 2026

Ofsted's new report cards grade each part of school life separately, instead of giving one overall word.

Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Strong standard
Curriculum and teaching Strong standard
Achievement Strong standard
Attendance and behaviour Strong standard
Personal development and wellbeing Exceptional
Early years Expected standard
Sixth form (post-16) Strong standard
Leadership and governance Strong standard

Before this, under the old system, Ofsted rated the school Outstanding (2022). The report card above replaces that grade.

How Ofsted report cards work

Since November 2025, Ofsted grades each area of a school on its own five-point scale, and no longer gives a single word like “Good” or “Outstanding”. Safeguarding (keeping children safe) is simply met or not met.

Exceptional The very best practice nationally
Strong standard Above what Ofsted expects
Expected standard What Ofsted expects of every school
Needs attention Some weaknesses the school needs to fix
Urgent improvement Serious weaknesses needing urgent action

“Expected standard” is a sound result – it's what Ofsted expects a good school to do. Report cards aren't directly comparable with the old single grades, which is why we don't turn them into one.

SecondaryGCSE results, Year 11

Attainment 8 score: 51.5
Compared with the area: 1.1 points below the Brent average (52.6)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Above (+4.2 points against an expected 47.3)
Grade 4+ in English and maths: 73% (Brent 73%, England 65%) Falling
Data year: 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

GCSE results over time

This schoolBrent averageEngland↘ Falling Down 3.0 points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 1.1 points below the Brent average (52.6).

About the Attainment 8 score

Attainment 8 measures a pupil's average result across 8 GCSE-equivalent qualifications (English and maths count double). It shows how pupils performed, not how much progress they made getting there - a school with a higher score doesn't necessarily add more value, since pupils often arrive with different starting points. Progress 8 is the measure designed to account for that, but it currently can't be calculated for any school for the two most recent academic years, due to a nationwide gap in the data caused by COVID-19 disruption to Key Stage 2 testing.

7th of 16 all-through schools in Brent for Attainment 8

#5St Gregory's Catholic Science College60.6
#6Claremont High School54.8
#7Ark Academy51.5
#8Queens Park Community School51.1
#9Alperton Community School49.6

Click to see the full ranking

Attainment 8 ranking

Illustrative MVP scores - not based on verified data yet.

Rank School Score

#1Michaela Community School77.6
#2Menorah High School for Girls66.7
#3JFS64.6
#4Wembley High Technology College63.5
#5St Gregory's Catholic Science College60.6
#6Claremont High School54.8
#7Ark Academy51.5
#8Queens Park Community School51.1
#9Alperton Community School49.6
#10Kingsbury High School47.3
#11Preston Manor School46.2
#12Ark Elvin Academy45.9
#13Saint Claudine's Catholic School for Girls44.7
#14Harris Lowe Academy Willesden41.6
#15E-ACT Crest Academy39.9
#16Newman Catholic College35.9

Leaver Destinations

In education, employment, or training a year later: 96.0%
Went into further education: 95.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About leaver destinations

This shows where a school's Year 11 leavers were recorded the following year - in a "sustained" destination means in education, an apprenticeship, or employment for at least 6 months, not just enrolled briefly. It's a different picture from exam results alone, and can highlight schools that support pupils well beyond just their GCSE grades.

GCSE Subjects Offered

Maths (General)
English Language
Religious Studies
English Literature
Science Double Award
Geography
History
French Language
Spanish
Biology
Computer Science
Chemistry (General)
Physics (General)
Business Studies
D & T
Sports Studies
Art & Design
Speech & Drama
Arabic
Music Studies (General)
Persian Language
Italian
Russian
Gujarati

About this subject list

This isn't the school's own description of its curriculum - it's real DfE exam entry data, showing which GCSE subjects this school's pupils were actually entered for in 2024/25. A subject not appearing here may still be taught but had no pupils entered that year, so treat this as a helpful guide rather than a complete guarantee - it's worth confirming directly with the school for the year your child would actually study.

PrimaryYear 6 SATs results

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 82% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 11% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 11 percentage points above the Brent average (71%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well above (3-year average 81% against an expected 67%)
3-year average (expected standard): 81%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 86% · Writing 86% · Maths 89% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 80%
Average test scores: reading 106, maths 106
Based on: 56 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolBrent averageEngland→ Broadly steady No clear rise or fall since 2022/23 (changes this small are normal from one year group to the next). In 2024/25 this school was 11 percentage points above the Brent average (71%).

Year 6 SATs: 8th of 54 junior and primary schools in the area

#6Sinai Jewish Primary School86%
#7Princess Frederica CofE Primary School84%
#8Ark Academy82%
#9Park Lane Primary School81%
#10North West London Jewish Day School80%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1Ark Franklin Primary Academy96%
#2Our Lady of Grace Catholic Junior School93%
=3St Joseph's Catholic Junior School91%
=3St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School91%
#5East Lane Primary School88%
#6Sinai Jewish Primary School86%
#7Princess Frederica CofE Primary School84%
#8Ark Academy82%
#9Park Lane Primary School81%
#10North West London Jewish Day School80%
#11Uxendon Manor Primary School79%
#12Harris Primary Academy South Kenton78%
#13St Robert Southwell Catholic Primary School77%
=14Barham Primary School76%
=14Braintcroft E-ACT Primary Academy76%
=14Gladstone Park Primary School76%
=14Sudbury Primary School76%
=18Islamia Primary School75%
=18Mitchell Brook Primary School75%
=18St Margaret Clitherow RC Primary School75%
=21Beis Yaakov Primary School74%
=21Newfield Primary School74%
=23John Keble CofE Primary School73%
=23Salusbury Primary School73%
=25Preston Manor School72%
=25St Andrew and St Francis CofE Primary School72%
#27Wembley Primary School71%
=28Avigdor Hirsch Torah Temimah Primary School69%
=28Kingsbury Green Primary School69%
=28Mora Primary School69%
=31Anson Primary School68%
=31Christ Church CofE Primary School68%
=31Elsley Primary School68%
=31Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School68%
#35Chalkhill Primary School66%
#36Kilburn Grange School65%
=37Donnington Primary School64%
=37Northview Junior and Infant School64%
=39Oakington Manor Primary School63%
=39Wykeham Primary School63%
=41Harlesden Primary School62%
=41Leopold Primary School62%
=41St Mary's CofE Primary School62%
#44St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Junior School61%
#45Brentfield Primary School58%
#46Preston Park Primary School57%
#47Oliver Goldsmith Primary School54%
#48St Mary's RC Primary School52%
#49Fryent Primary School51%
#50Lyon Park Primary School50%
=51Roe Green Junior School49%
=51The Stonebridge School49%
#53Furness Primary School43%
#54The Kilburn Park School Foundation37%

View full Ofsted inspection report

Financials

Spending per pupil: £8,639 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

10th of 17 all-through schools in Brent for spending per pupil

#8Michaela Community School£8,753
#9Preston Manor School£8,705
#10Ark Academy£8,639
#11Saint Claudine's Catholic School for Girls£8,586
#12St Gregory's Catholic Science College£8,272

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Newman Catholic College£10,893
#2North Brent School£10,495
#3JFS£10,419
#4Harris Lowe Academy Willesden£9,684
#5Ark Elvin Academy£9,521
#6Kingsbury High School£9,095
#7Menorah High School for Girls£9,007
#8Michaela Community School£8,753
#9Preston Manor School£8,705
#10Ark Academy£8,639
#11Saint Claudine's Catholic School for Girls£8,586
#12St Gregory's Catholic Science College£8,272
#13Wembley High Technology College£8,268
#14Queens Park Community School£8,193
#15E-ACT Crest Academy£7,877
#16Claremont High School£7,806
#17Alperton Community School£7,790

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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General Information

Who goes here

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Behaviour

Across Brent: suspensions by reason

Attendance

SEN

Most common needs - SEN Support

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Educational Attainment

Attainment 8 ranking

Leaver Destinations ?

GCSE Subjects Offered ?

Year 6 SATs ranking

Financials

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Leaver Destinations

GCSE Subjects Offered