Ark (charity)

{{Short description|Children's charity based in London, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}} {{Infobox organization | name = Ark | full_name = Absolute Return for Kids | logo = Ark (charity) logo.svg | logo_upright = 0.7 | image = | image_size = | established = {{start date and age|2002}} | type = Charity | leader_title = Chief Executive | leader_name = Lucy Heller | key_people = | budget = | budget_year = | revenue = | revenue_year = | num_staff = ~3,000<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our people |url=https://arkonline.org/about-us/our-people/ |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=Ark |language=en-GB}}</ref> | num_staff_year = 2024 | num_students = | num_students_year = | website = {{official website|https://arkonline.org/}} }}

'''Absolute Return for Kids''' (branded as '''Ark''') is an international children's educational charity based in London, England.

Ark is a registered charity under English law. In its reporting year 2017–18, excluding its few subsidiaries, it saw gross income of £14.66 million and had 42 employees.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{EW charity|1095322|Absolute Return for Kids}}</ref>

Ark is the parent organisation of '''Ark Schools''', a separate legal entity that is a multi-academy trust in the English education system, with 39 schools (as of 14 October 2022) and nearly 30,000 pupils.<ref>[https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/multi-academy-trust/2157/ark-schools?tab=secondary GovUK: Ark Schools]</ref><ref>[https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/1000/2157 Ofsted reports]</ref>

== History == Ark was founded in 2002 by a group of hedge fund financiers including Paul Marshall and Ian Wace of Marshall Wace – and Arpad Busson of EIM Group, founding chairman of the charity's board of trustees.

Its aim is to invest by philanthropy to improve the life chances of children. Since 2014, the charity has been known as Ark or ARK.

Its charitable objects are: "to make sure that all children, regardless of their background, have access to a great education and real choices in life. ark incubates, launches and scales ventures that share our mission and values."<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

== Activities == Ark operates in the UK, South Africa, Zimbabwe and India. In the US, it is affiliated to Absolute Return for Kids US, Inc. (Ark US), a US philanthropic organisation which shares Ark's mission, and which supports the work of Ark through grants.<ref name= ark2018>Ark: Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 August 2018.</ref>

Ark works in education, health and child protection.

===Schools=== In England, its subsidiary Ark Schools is a multi-academy trust responsible for the schools that Ark runs which, typical of its class, has exempt charity status since 2011.<ref name= ark2018/><ref>{{EW charity|1111608|ARK Schools}}</ref>)

Ark Schools was created in 2004 to work with the Department for Education and local authorities to create new schools for inner cities through the academies programme. Its aim is to help close the achievement gap between children from disadvantaged and more affluent backgrounds.<ref name="Spielman"/> Its academies focus on raising attainment with the aim of every pupil going into higher education when they complete school.{{citation needed|date=November 2017}} The schools are frequently held up by the government as an example of a successful multi-academy trust, where at least seven others were failing{{vague|date=October 2021|reason="at least seven others were failing" seems to refer to one specific case of "being held up by government as an example...", whereas the sentence refers to frequent such citations}}.<ref name="Spielman">{{cite web |last1=Adams Education |first1=Richard |title=Few multi-academy trusts good enough to improve schools, says Wilshaw |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/jun/15/few-multi-academy-trusts-good-enough-improve-schools-says-sir-michael-wilshaw |website=The Guardian |accessdate=31 January 2020 |date=15 June 2016}}</ref> Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw stepped down in 2016 and was replaced by Amanda Spielman, the founder of Ark Schools and an accountant.<ref name="Spielman"/>

As of 2019, Ark runs 36 schools in the English education system, and plans to grow further. It has been, by a sector analyst of a periodical, criticised or seen as unusual for a record of running some schools, as at before 2020 at a deficit, relying on internal loans{{clarify|date=October 2021|reason=strange word order and punctuation}}.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hazell |first1=Will |title=Ark reports £4m loss and relies on loans between its schools to cover deficits |url=https://www.tes.com/news/ark-reports-ps4m-loss-and-relies-loans-between-its-schools-cover-deficits |accessdate=31 January 2020 |work=Tes |date=11 January 2018 }}</ref>

In 2022, the Birmingham school Ark Kings Academy was given a funding warning after being found inadequate during an Ofsted inspection. The Ofsted report, published in May 2022, following an inspection in February 2022, said: "Some pupils, particularly those who identify as LGBT, experience repeated name-calling and prejudiced behaviour. This means that pupils do not feel safe in the school."<ref name="Birmingham">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-61607237 |title=Birmingham school Ark Kings Academy given funding warning |author= |date=27 May 2022 |website=BBC News |publisher=BBC |access-date=27 May 2022 |quote=}}</ref>

==List of Ark schools in England== {{hatnote|The planning district (main local government unit and authority for local authority-run schools) is stated after the final comma in this list}} {{hatnote|Outside of London are marked ‡}} ===Primary schools=== {{Div col|colwidth=30em}} *Ark Atwood Primary Academy, Westminster *Ark Ayrton Primary Academy, Portsmouth‡ *Ark Bentworth Primary Academy, Hammersmith & Fulham *Ark Blacklands Primary Academy, Hastings‡ *Ark Brunel Primary Academy, Kensington and Chelsea *Ark Byron Primary Academy, Ealing *Ark Castledown Primary Academy, Hastings‡ *Ark Conway Primary Academy, Hammersmith & Fulham *Ark Dickens Primary Academy, Portsmouth‡ *Ark Franklin Primary Academy, Brent *Ark John Archer Primary Academy, Wandsworth *Ark Little Ridge Primary Academy, Hastings‡ *Ark Oval Primary Academy, Croydon *Ark Priory Primary Academy, Ealing *Ark Swift Primary Academy, Hammersmith & Fulham *Ark Tindal Primary Academy, Birmingham‡ {{div col end}}

===Secondary schools=== {{Div col|colwidth=30em}} *Ark Acton Academy, Acton, Ealing *Ark Alexandra Academy, Hastings‡ *Ark All Saints Academy, Southwark *Ark Blake Academy, Croydon *Ark Bolingbroke Academy, Wandsworth *Ark Boulton Academy, Birmingham‡ *Ark Charter Academy, Portsmouth‡ *Ark Elvin Academy, Wembley, Brent *Ark Evelyn Grace Academy, Lambeth *Ark Greenwich Free School, Greenwich *Ark Pioneer Academy, Barnet *Ark Putney Academy, Wandsworth *Ark St Alban's Academy, Birmingham‡ *Ark Soane Academy, Acton, Ealing *Ark Walworth Academy, Southwark {{div col end}}

===All-through schools=== {{Div col|colwidth=30em}} *Ark Academy, Wembley, Brent *Ark Burlington Danes Academy, Hammersmith & Fulham *Ark Globe Academy, Southwark *Ark Isaac Newton Academy, Redbridge *Ark John Keats Academy, Enfield *Ark King Solomon Academy, Westminster *Ark Kings Academy, Birmingham‡ *Ark Victoria Academy, Birmingham‡ {{div col end}}

==Boards of Trustees== As of November 2018 the Ark Schools trustees were Ian Wace (Chairman), Lord Fink, Sir Paul Marshall, Anthony Williams and Anthony Clake.<ref name="ark2018"/> In April 2024, Marshall stood down as chair and trustee after being accused of liking and sharing far-right extremist social media posts and conspiracy theories.<ref>{{cite web | title=Sir Paul Marshall steps down from Ark Schools board | date=15 April 2024 | url=https://schoolsweek.co.uk/sir-paul-marshall-steps-down-from-ark-schools-board/ }}</ref> However, Ark Schools said he had "indicated earlier in the year his intention to step down from the Ark Schools Board".<ref>{{cite news |title=Tina Alexandrou appointed as Chair of Ark Schools |url=https://arkonline.org/news/tina-alexandrou-appointed-chair-ark-schools |access-date=8 May 2024 |date=15 April 2024}}</ref> He has remained a trustee of ARK.<ref>{{cite web |title=Absolute Return for Kids (ARK) |url=https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/3996816/trustees |website=Charity Commission for England and Wales |access-date=8 May 2024}}</ref>

Arpad Busson sits on the global board and is chairman of Absolute Return for Kids, US, Inc.{{cn|date=April 2024}}

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [http://www.arkonline.org/ Ark website] * [http://www.arkschools.org Ark schools website]

Category:Educational charities based in the United Kingdom Category:Ark schools Category:Organizations established in 2002 Category:2002 establishments in England Category:Charities based in London Category:Founders of English schools and colleges Category:Multi-academy trusts