Ark Brunel Primary Academy

Ark Brunel Primary Academy is a primary school in North Kensington, London. Providing places to around 300 pupils aged 3-11, the school first opened in 2013 and is expected to expand to accommodate close to 500 children in the near future. The school is proud of its diversity, with pupils from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. 

Our vision is to provide every pupil with the opportunity to go on to university or pursue the career of their choice. Named in honour of famed Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the school sets high standards for its pupils in terms of academic achievement. Teachers believe in a “depth before breadth” philosophy of education. The school also takes great care to instil in children the values of respect and tolerance.  

We provide our staff with the tools and support to instil a strong learning culture in their classrooms. From weekly coaching sessions with the senior leadership team to co-planning with colleagues, teachers are supported and encouraged to take risks and try new techniques to instil a lifelong love of learning in every child. Teachers at Brunel also have twice as many training days as standard and the chance to work with and learn from peers and leaders from across the Ark network. There is also a salary at 2.5% higher than main scale, access to health packages, discounts at major retailers, travel loans and other benefits, through the Ark Rewards scheme. 

The academy places great importance on excellent behaviour in order to maximise learning time and develop in pupils the skills needed to succeed in later life. In addition to that, everyone working in or for our school service shares an objective to help keep children and young people safe by following our strict safeguarding policy. 

Curriculum

All aspects of our curricula provision have been devised with the National Curriculum in mind. We have ensured that all the statutory requirements are fully adhered to and that all pupils are fully prepared to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum tests in English and mathematics at years 2 and 6. A strong command of English and mathematics is a vital foundation for the whole curriculum. We prioritise depth before breadth so that all pupils secure firm foundations in these core subjects as early as possible. 

Ofsted report 

In May 2016, Ofsted inspected Ark Brunel and concluded that ‘This is an outstanding school’ and “Pupils’ achievement has been in the top 20% of all mainstream schools nationally. This outstanding achievement is set to improve even further this year.”  

We are proud of their comments focusing on the achievement of pupils and the progress that they make. Our high aspirations and standards mean that our pupils never give up and achieve all that they can. The report also found that ‘The curriculum reflects that school’s vision, values and ethos very well’ 

Read more about Ofsted's observations or see the the full report.  

The Ark network 

Ark Brunel Primary Academy is part of Ark, an international charity transforming lives through education. Ark has 38 schools across the UK in Birmingham, Hastings, London and Portsmouth. Ark exists to give every young person, regardless of their background, a great education and real choices in life. Ark schools are all non-selective and in areas where they can make the biggest difference.  

Read more about Ark: http://arkonline.org/