Ark Charter Academy

Ark Charter Academy has improved considerably since its previous inspection, with inspectors finding a much stronger culture and a typically happy, kind, respectful and calm atmosphere. Pupils feel safe and proud to attend, behaviour has improved, and bullying and discrimination have reduced considerably. The school is part of the Ark Schools multi-academy trust and has a new principal and several new senior staff since the last inspection. Leaders have made the curriculum ambitious and logically sequenced, improved teaching and raised pupils' aspirations through high-quality careers guidance. A strong focus on reading is helping pupils access the curriculum and has positive effects on learning and behaviour. Safeguarding is effective, attendance is improving from a low base, and staff feel well supported with their professional development, workload and well-being. Pupils' GCSE results improved last year. The main concerns are that some pupils still have gaps in knowledge from earlier curriculum weaknesses, low attendance and pandemic disruption, so not all achieve as highly as they should; learning needs to be adapted more consistently to fill these gaps. A small number of pupils do not fully embrace the school's values, and some behaviour and attendance remain below the school's high standards. The school is continuing work to promote its values, reduce suspensions and improve attendance.

Strengths

• Strong culture shift: pupils feel safe, proud and respected
• Calm and typically happy atmosphere with much improved behaviour
• Bullying and discrimination have reduced considerably
• Ambitious, logically sequenced curriculum across a broadening range of subjects
• Teaching is well organised and pupils are learning more
• Reading focus is transformational in improving access to the curriculum
• High-quality careers advice and guidance raise pupils' aspirations
• Effective safeguarding arrangements
• Attendance is improving and support for vulnerable pupils is well aligned
• Staff feel well supported with professional development, workload and well-being

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils have gaps in knowledge and are not achieving as highly as they should in some subjects
• Learning is not yet consistently adapted to fill pupils' knowledge gaps
• A few pupils do not fully embrace the school's values, affecting behaviour and attitudes
• Some pupils do not attend regularly enough and attendance is not yet high
• Suspensions rose as behaviour expectations were tightened and, although dropping, remain a concern

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Ark Charter Academy attended 87.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 32.9% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 15.3% of pupils at Ark Charter Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Ark Charter Academy had 16.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 33.8% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 19.6% of pupils at Ark Charter Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Ark Charter Academy received £9,690 and spent £9,794 for each of its 917 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £1,231,000 (-£1,342 per pupil).

Across all 48 schools of Ark Schools, income was £9,191 and spending £9,015 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Southsea · Portsmouth local authority: places and applications

Ark Charter Academy is part of Ark Schools, which runs 48 schools. The nearest others:

• Ark Ayrton Primary Academy Portsmouth
• Ark Dickens Primary Academy Portsmouth
• Ark Putney Academy London
• Ark Oval Primary Academy Croydon
• Ark Blake Academy Croydon
• Ark Acton Academy London
• Ark Soane Academy London
• Ark Priory Primary Academy London
• Ark Bolingbroke Academy London
• ARK John Archer Primary Academy London

What is Ark Charter Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ark Charter Academy is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Ark Charter Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Ark Charter Academy was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Ark Charter Academy have?

Ark Charter Academy has 883 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ark Charter Academy cover?

Ark Charter Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Ark Charter Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 39.9, and 32% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Ark Charter Academy?

Ark Charter Academy is at Hyde Park Road, Southsea, Hampshire, PO5 4HL.