Ark Greenwich Free School

Ark Greenwich Free School provides an exceptional education, achieving outstanding performance across all areas assessed. The school emphasizes character development, encouraging pupils, or 'scholars,' to embody values such as ambition and respect. This strong foundation supports a culture where pupils excel academically and develop essential life skills. The school's curriculum not only adheres to national standards but often surpasses them, ensuring that all students, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are well supported and achieve high levels of success. Moreover, the school's extensive personal development program enriches the students' experience, providing a wide range of opportunities for engagement in various activities. With exemplary behaviour and a strong emphasis on reading and enrichment, the school is committed to fostering well-rounded individuals. Leaders, staff, and governors work collaboratively to maintain high expectations and continuous progress, making Ark Greenwich Free School a place where pupils thrive both academically and personally.

Strengths

• Exceptional education provided with high academic achievement.
• Strong emphasis on character development and school values.
• Broad range of personal development opportunities.
• High expectations of behaviour and exemplary conduct from pupils.
• Ambitious and well-structured curriculum that exceeds national requirements.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs.
• Strong culture of reading and literacy promotion.

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 Greenwich Free School attended 94.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 13.5% 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, 13.0% of pupils at Ark Greenwich Free School 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 Greenwich Free School had 15.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 23.9% 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, 10.6% of pupils at Ark Greenwich Free School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.3% 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 Greenwich Free School received £10,096 and spent £10,164 for each of its 601 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £673,000 (£1,119 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 Greenwich · Greenwich local authority: places and applications

Ark Greenwich Free School is part of Ark Schools, which runs 48 schools. The nearest others:

• Ark Walworth Academy London
• Ark Globe Academy London
• Ark Isaac Newton Academy Ilford
• Ark All Saints Academy London
• Ark Evelyn Grace Academy London
• Ark Blake Academy Croydon
• Ark Oval Primary Academy Croydon
• Ark Bolingbroke Academy London
• ARK John Archer Primary Academy London
• Ark King Solomon Academy London

What is Ark Greenwich Free School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ark Greenwich Free School is Outstanding, from an inspection in July 2023.

When was Ark Greenwich Free School last inspected by Ofsted?

Ark Greenwich Free School was last inspected in July 2023.

How many pupils does Ark Greenwich Free School have?

Ark Greenwich Free School has 615 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ark Greenwich Free School cover?

Ark Greenwich Free School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Ark Greenwich Free School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 65.8, and 86% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Ark Greenwich Free School?

Ark Greenwich Free School is at 403 Shooters Hill Road, London, SE18 4LH.