Ark pioneer academy, Barnet: opinions pls

[purelaxation]

Considering this brand new school for my DS. It opens in September 2019 so she will be part of the founding year group which has its pros and cons.

Another option is Queen Elizabeth girls which is established and doing well but has tired old buildings and fewer sports facilities.

Extremely confused so grateful of any opinions out dthere.

Hi all, sorry to ride onto this as I as reading about Ark Pioneer and came across this. The comments about the schools seem positive and it feels like a great school. I don't know if anyone knows whether there are movement around Year 9 as I am looking for possible in year application into Year 9 this academic year and wondered what the chances could be. How are the end of year assessments and homework? Seems kids are happy at the school. I understand they are waiting for their 1st batch of GCSE's and A'Level results so it must be jointly exciting and nervous at the same time!

Many thanks

Hi

I can't say about enrolment into year 9, although, I know that this is now an oversubscribed school. For good reason, I'm my opinion.

I have two children there, one with ADHD, so the strict discipline is an issue for him and us to manage. Thankfully, he is capable academically, but gets a lot of detentions, which, given the long day can be a pain. My daughter is very academic and is thriving.

They are serious academically and put the work in with the kids and are very professional.

If you have a relatively well behaved child, then this seems a great environment to help them achieve.

Thank you for the advice. Good to hear experiences from those who attend the school. It helps very much! Only now, just worried about distance oversubscription and actual vacancies too.

How is Ark with SEN kids my son is ADHD & has a statement (EHCP) are they nurturing?

Bumping

Hello all,

Would love to hear recent opinions of Ark Pioneer please.
Are your kids happy? If they are in the middle academically, are they left to coast or are they pushed?

Thank you so much for any advice. We have a well behaved son but very much in the middle academically and often seemingly forgotten at his current state, worried he might fall into the shadows at secondary.

Hi my two daughters are at the school. Very happy, super organised and will help each child academically to achieve thier best potential. I’m pleased with the school. It’s strict with its rules , the kids may not like that part all the time but a little discipline in my books is a good thing

Thank you. Can I ask please if the detentions are a regular occurrence? How often do your daughters get detention please?

one is in year 10 and the other in year 7. The new head seems more strict with the rules and one of them year 10 got 15 mins after school because her tie was worn low? Harsh I thought. The one in year 7 got 15 mins what they call catch up for talking in line. It’s not often for them both as they are use to the rules but some of the reasons are a bit silly. The academic side and organisation of the school is amazing

That’s really helpful thank you, I was nervous the detentions may be very frequent and an hour long.

Would be interested to know how the organisation is like? Do you get a lot of visibility of homework etc?

its 15 mins a time and parents get notified beforehand on the school app. Communication by the school is great. Its super organised i have to say, homework apps are used, you can link up to their learning and track if you like, termly asssesments. i have never had to call the school to complain. If you need to be challenged or finding the work difficult teachers will help. i cant be more happier and my girls went to private primary school - so this was a big change for them. I am really impressed by the communication the school gives.

Hi all, I'm keen to hear from parents who's kids are a bit more on the sensitive side and need a bit more nurturing. What is their pastoral care like? Also is the homework and build up to exams excessive? I want my kids to do well at school but their wellbeing and mental health is more important so want to make sure it's all well balanced as we would also be coming from NZ where the schools are a lot more relaxed.

Hi the school has strict rules about behaviour so its not relaxed.Checks are handed out often for the tie not being worn correctly etc which some kids do find sensitive which means they get 15 mins after school. For some it sounds harsh. Homewor is normal standards. Assessments every term. Im sure a UK secondary school will not be as relaxed as NZ ones. Ark is a good school and my girls are happy there and noth doing academially well. Have you considered Totteridge Academy too?

@sumer1 thank you for that it’s much appreciated. We used to live in Barnet and my daughter will have friends at Ark so really the only school we’d want to consider. Really just trying to decide between the UK and NZ

Adding 2026 update

I have concerns about Ark Academy’s approach to discipline. Detentions appear to be issued very quickly.
There was also an instance where a child received a detention for not completing homework during their first two weeks at the school, despite not having been provided with the homework link. Unfortunately, there seemed to be little consideration given to the challenges new students face when settling in.
Overall, the emphasis appears to be more on punishment than support. This has raised questions for us about whether the "Ark Academy" approach fully recognises children as individuals who need guidance and understanding, and it has led us to review other options.

I suggest you see TTA. Also strict but reasonable and an extremely positive and supportive atmosphere. We moved our child from a private school to TTA and couldn't be happier. Our child is thriving there.

Sorry to hear that Hatti - I hear its becoming more strict and unecessary checks given for the smallest of things. Have you spoke to the head or head of year?

It's amazing how much the school has improved.

I remember about 15 years ago or so, the school was called Ravenscroft and was one of the worst schools in the entire borough!