Ark Little Ridge Primary Academy

Ark Little Ridge Primary Academy is a mixed, non-selective, non-denominational community primary school without nursery situated in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex.

At Ark Little Ridge, everything we do is underpinned by our “RIDGE” values; Rigour, Integrity, Determination, Generosity and Enthusiasm. We believe they provide the key to our success.

We treat every pupil as an individual; by getting to know all our students, we're able to tailor-make learning for them. We use a programme called Thrive which focuses on helping children with a range of different needs to achieve the best they can. We ask our teachers to complete a short survey about the pupils in their class, this then generates a whole support action plan for children with specific needs.

The school has a strong sense of community; we hold a lot of fairs and school events and have regular visits from prominent members of the community such as the police, firefighters, vets and doctors. At Little Ridge, we understand the importance of making our parents feel like they are part of the school and there are plenty of opportunities for them see what the staff and students are working on, such as our recent outdoor learning exhibition.

We have high expectations of our pupils and strive for continuous improvement throughout the school. In order for our pupils to succeed, they need exceptional teachers. We have a strong focus on CPD, and particularly on support and training specific to our school, teachers and pupils' needs. We prioritise training which will have a direct impact in the classroom, a recent example is marking and giving feedback. We now encourage more ‘over the shoulder’ marking, allowing teachers to give immediate feedback and ensuring this is implemented straight away.

At Little Ridge everybody offers help and support to each other. The leadership team have an open-door policy and the staff have adopted a really caring philosophy. All achievements, big or small, are acknowledged and praised. We also have a "praise board" where staff can recognise each other's assistance and support.

Ark Little Ridge works closely with the nearby Ark Blacklands Primary Academy to serve young people from the Hastings area.

Curriculum 

A strong command of English and Maths is vital for success across the whole curriculum. We prioritise these subjects and dedicate extra time to them so that pupils are confident and have the strong foundations they need to succeed. 

Ark Little Ridge Academy is committed to providing a curriculum that inspires and excites our pupils to achieve excellence and motivates them to succeed.  

Ofsted

As a newer institution, Ark Little Ridge Primary Academy is yet to be inspected by Ofsted.

The Ark network 

Ark Little Ridge 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/