Ark Charter Academy[1]

Secondary · ages 11–16

Headline results

Attainment 8: A8 40 39.9 2025/26[2]

Results

GCSE (key stage 4)

Attainment 8: 39.9 2025/26[2]
Grade 5+ in English & maths: 32.1% 2025/26[2]
Grade 7+ in English & maths: 4.2% 2025/26[2]
Progress 8: -0.32 2023/24[3]
Progress 8, 2025/26: Not calculated[4]
Progress 8, 2024/25: Not calculated[4]

Earlier years
Year	Attainment 8	Grade 5+ in English & maths	Progress 8
2024/25	38.9[5]	35.9%[5]
2023/24	40.6[3]	35.3%[3]	-0.32[3]
2022/23	33.6[6]	26%[6]	-0.70[6]
2021/22	38.4[7]	31%[7]	-0.48[7]

A level (16–18)

A-level average grade: D+ 2017/18[8]
AAB or better, at least two in facilitating subjects: 12.5% 2016/17[9]
All results, 2020/21: Not published (exams cancelled, COVID-19)[10]
All results, 2019/20: Not published (exams cancelled, COVID-19)[10]

Earlier years
Year	A-level average grade	AAB or better, at least two in facilitating subjects
2016/17	D+[9]	12.5%[9]

Destinations after GCSEs

Sustained education, apprenticeship or employment: 83% 2022/23[11]
School sixth form: 1% 2022/23[11]
Sixth-form college: 0% 2022/23[11]
Further education college: 76% 2022/23[11]
Apprenticeship: 1% 2022/23[11]
Employment: 5% 2022/23[11]

Earlier leavers
Left in	Sustained education, apprenticeship or employment	School sixth form	Sixth-form college	Further education college	Apprenticeship	Employment
2021/22	86%[12]	0%[12]	1%[12]	72%[12]	3%[12]	9%[12]
2020/21	83%[13]	1%[13]	0%[13]	74%[13]	3%[13]	6%[13]
2019/20	91%[14]	1%[14]	26%[14]	59%[14]	0%[14]	5%[14]
2018/19	81%[15]	1%[15]	27%[15]	48%[15]	2%[15]	4%[15]

Shares of the pupils who left in the year shown. Russell Group and Oxford or Cambridge figures were published for leavers up to 2019/20 only.

Ofsted

Latest inspection: 10 Dec 2024[16]
Type: Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1[16]
Report published: 28 Jan 2025[16]
Personal development: Good[16]
Quality of education: Good[16]
Behaviour and attitudes: Good[16]
Safeguarding is effective?: Yes[16]
Effectiveness of leadership and management: Good[16]

Earlier inspections
Inspection	Type	Overall
5 Jul 2022[17]	S5 Inspection[17]	Requires improvement[17]
30 Nov 2016[18]	S5 Inspection[18]	Good[18]

Competition to get in

Applications and offers, Year 7

Applications per place: 2.1 Entry Sept 2026[19]
Applications (any preference): 377 Entry Sept 2026[19]
First preferences: 133 Entry Sept 2026[19]
Places offered: 180 Entry Sept 2026[19]
First preferences per place: 0.7 Entry Sept 2026[19]

Earlier years
Entry	Applications	First preferences	Places offered	Per place	First preferences per place
Entry Sept 2025	321[19]	105[19]	180[19]	1.8[19]	0.6[19]
Entry Sept 2024	226[19]	87[19]	192[19]	1.2[19]	0.5[19]
Entry Sept 2023	246[19]	86[19]	146[19]	1.7[19]	0.6[19]
Entry Sept 2022	219[19]	102[19]	173[19]	1.3[19]	0.6[19]

Admissions

Application deadline, 11+ entry: 31 Oct 2026 Entry Sept 2027[20]

Character & practicalities

Type: Academy sponsor led[1]
Ages: 11–16[1]
Boys / girls: Mixed[1]
Faith: Church of England[1]
Admissions: Non-selective[1]
Sixth form: No[1]
Boarding: No boarders[1]
Capacity: 900[1]
Trust: ARK SCHOOLS[1]
Local authority: Portsmouth[1]
Website: http://charteracademy.org.uk/[1]
District: Portsmouth [21]
Postcode: PO5 4HL[1]
URN: 135965[1]

School details as recorded in Get Information About Schools on 14 Oct 2026.

Pupils

Number on roll: 917 2024/25[22]
English as an additional language: 38.7% 2024/25[22]
SEN support: 18.4% 2024/25[22]
EHC plan: 2.8% 2024/25[22]
Free school meals in the last 6 years: 61.7% 2024/25[22]

Pupils' ethnicity 2025/26

White: 48.4%[23]
Mixed: 7.5%[23]
Asian: 14%[23]
Black: 14.7%[23]
Any other ethnic group: 12%[23]
Unclassified: 3.4%[23]

The school census's major ethnic groups as shares of the school's pupils, summed by us from the published counts. For information only: never used to rank, filter or colour schools.

Sources

Department for Education: Get Information About Schools: all establishments. Period 2026-10-14, published 2026-10-14. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Performance tables schools data (explore education statistics). Period 2025/26, provisional, published 2026-10-15. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2023/24, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Key stage 4 performance 2024/25: data guidance. Period 2024/25. Archived copy; original. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Quote
It is not possible to calculate Progress 8 for academic years 2024/25 and 2025/26 due to gaps in the baseline caused by COVID-19 disruption.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2024/25, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2022/23, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2021/22, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS5 (16-18) final. Period 2017/18, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS5 (16-18) final. Period 2016/17, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: A level and other 16 to 18 results 2020/21. Period 2020/21. Archived copy; original. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Quote
Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer exam series was cancelled in both 2020 and 2021, and alternative processes were set up to award grades.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2022/23, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2021/22, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2020/21, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2019/20, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2018/19, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Ofsted: State-funded schools inspections and outcomes. Period 2024/25. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Ofsted: State-funded schools inspections and outcomes. Period 2021/22. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Ofsted: State-funded schools inspections and outcomes. Period 2016/17. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Primary and secondary school applications and offers: school level. Period Entry Sept 2026, final, published 2026-06-29. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
charteracademy.org.uk: charteracademy.org.uk — Ark Charter Academy Admission Policy 2027-28 (PDF). Period 2026-04-15. Archived copy; original. Licence: copyright-quoted.
Quote
31 October 2026: National closing date for Secondary applications. (p. 4)
Office for National Statistics: Parish to Ward to Local Authority District (May 2026) Lookup in EW. Period 2026-05-01. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: School census. Period 2024/25, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Schools, pupils and their characteristics: school level underlying data. Period 2025/26, published 2026-06-04. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.