Ark Pioneer Academy[1]
Secondary · ages 11–19
Headline results
- Attainment 8
- A8 54 53.8 2025/26[2]
Results
GCSE (key stage 4)
- Attainment 8
- 53.8 2025/26[2]
- Grade 5+ in English & maths
- 61.5% 2025/26[2]
- Grade 7+ in English & maths
- 20.1% 2025/26[2]
- Progress 8
- +0.57 2023/24[3]
- Progress 8, 2025/26
- Not calculated[4]
- Progress 8, 2024/25
- Not calculated[4]
Ofsted
- Latest inspection
- 13 Sep 2023[6]
- Type
- S5 Inspection[6]
- Report published
- 10 Oct 2023[6]
- Personal development
- Outstanding[6]
- Quality of education
- Outstanding[6]
- Overall effectiveness
- Outstanding[6]
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding[6]
- Safeguarding is effective
- Yes[6]
- Effectiveness of leadership and management
- Outstanding[6]
Competition to get in
Applications and offers, Year 7
- Applications per place
- 5.1 Entry Sept 2026[7]
- Applications (any preference)
- 865 Entry Sept 2026[7]
- First preferences
- 167 Entry Sept 2026[7]
- Places offered
- 170 Entry Sept 2026[7]
- First preferences per place
- 1.0 Entry Sept 2026[7]
| Entry | Applications | First preferences | Places offered | Per place | First preferences per place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry Sept 2025 | 879[7] | 216[7] | 177[7] | 5.0[7] | 1.2[7] |
| Entry Sept 2024 | 905[7] | 220[7] | 178[7] | 5.1[7] | 1.2[7] |
| Entry Sept 2023 | 863[7] | 183[7] | 177[7] | 4.9[7] | 1.0[7] |
| Entry Sept 2022 | 726[7] | 144[7] | 177[7] | 4.1[7] | 0.8[7] |
Character & practicalities
- Type
- Free schools[1]
- Ages
- 11–19[1]
- Boys / girls
- Mixed[1]
- Admissions
- Non-selective[1]
- Sixth form
- Yes[1]
- Boarding
- No boarders[1]
- Capacity
- 1200[1]
- Trust
- ARK SCHOOLS[1]
- Local authority
- Barnet[1]
- Website
- https://arkpioneer.org/[1]
- District
- Barnet[8]
- Postcode
- EN5 2BE[1]
- URN
- 147061[1]
School details as recorded in Get Information About Schools on 14 Oct 2026.
Pupils
- Number on roll
- 998 2024/25[9]
- English as an additional language
- 33.3% 2024/25[9]
- SEN support
- 12.5% 2024/25[9]
- EHC plan
- 3.7% 2024/25[9]
- Free school meals in the last 6 years
- 40% 2024/25[9]
Pupils' ethnicity 2025/26
- White
- 41%[10]
- Mixed
- 14.7%[10]
- Asian
- 13.2%[10]
- Black
- 16.5%[10]
- Any other ethnic group
- 13.2%[10]
- Unclassified
- 1.4%[10]
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.
In the inspectors' and the school's words
- Academic
-
The school has the highest expectations for what pupils can achieve.
[11] - Warmth
-
Pupils have high regard for the school’s value of kindness. As a result, bullying and discrimination are extremely rare and never tolerated.
[11] - Behaviour
-
Pupils take great pride in the school, and their behaviour is impeccable.
[11] - Learning support
-
Teachers and support staff have the knowledge and skills to support pupils with SEND to excel.
[11] - Enrichment
-
Leaders organise an extensive range of enrichment clubs on a Thursday and Friday, which all pupils attend as part of the extended school day.
All pupils visit at least three universities by Year 11.
[11] - Pupil voice
-
Pupils’ views are taken into account and play an important part in developing the school.
For example, leaders discussed changes to the behaviour policy with the pupil-led academy council.
[11] - Independence
-
They help pupils to become independent and resilient learners.
[11] - Structure
-
They work hard in lessons and follow the instructions of teachers carefully.
[11]
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.
- Ofsted: State-funded schools inspections and outcomes. Period 2023/24. 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.
- 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.
-
files.ofsted.gov.uk: files.ofsted.gov.uk document. Period 2026-10-14.
Licence: OGL-3.0.
Quotes (10)
Pupils have high regard for the school's value of kindness. As a result, bullying and discrimination are extremely rare and never tolerated (p. 3)
The school has the highest expectations for what pupils can achieve (p. 2)
Pupils take great pride in the school, and their behaviour is impeccable (p. 2)
They work hard in lessons and follow the instructions of teachers carefully (p. 2)
Leaders organise an extensive range of enrichment clubs on a Thursday and Friday, which all pupils attend as part of the extended school day (p. 2)
All pupils visit at least three universities by Year 11 (p. 3)
Pupils' views are taken into account and play an important part in developing the school (p. 2)
For example, leaders discussed changes to the behaviour policy with the pupil-led academy council (p. 2)
They help pupils to become independent and resilient learners (p. 2)
Teachers and support staff have the knowledge and skills to support pupils with SEND to excel (p. 2)