Ark Bolingbroke Academy

Ark Bolingbroke Academy is performing exceptionally well across all key judgements at this September 2024 graded inspection, with outstanding quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision. The school has improved from its previous good grade and is part of the Ark Schools multi-academy trust. Inspectors found a school where high ambition and high expectations are fully realised for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils benefit from a broad, ambitious curriculum, expert teaching and strong outcomes in a wide range of GCSE and A level subjects. Behaviour is exemplary, attendance is high, and pupils are polite, focused and safe. Personal development is a considerable strength, with a well-crafted curriculum, strong careers guidance and a wide range of enrichment opportunities that are well attended, including by disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. Sixth-form students develop as independent learners and act as positive role models. Leadership is highly effective, with skilled trustees, governors and leaders sharing a clear strategic vision. Staff receive high-quality professional development and feel well supported with workload and well-being, and parents are very positive about the school. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. No areas of concern were identified in the report.

Strengths

• Broad and ambitious curriculum built progressively over time
• Consistently high-quality teaching from subject experts
• Pupils achieve very strong examination results across GCSE and A level subjects
• Pupils with SEND access the same ambitious curriculum and achieve highly
• Pupils' behaviour and conduct are exemplary
• Pupils are polite, courteous and have highly positive attitudes to learning
• High attendance and low persistent absence
• High-quality careers guidance and strong sixth-form application support
• Wide range of enrichment opportunities that are well attended
• Personal development curriculum prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain
• Staff benefit from high-quality professional development and strong workload support
• Effective safeguarding arrangements and a proactive approach to mental health

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 Bolingbroke Academy attended 93.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 15.1% 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, 3.1% of pupils at Ark Bolingbroke Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No 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 Bolingbroke Academy had 20.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 23.8% 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, 15.8% of pupils at Ark Bolingbroke Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.4% 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 Bolingbroke Academy received £9,675 and spent £9,520 for each of its 770 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £547,000 (-£711 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 Wandsworth · Wandsworth local authority: places and applications

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

• ARK John Archer Primary Academy London
• Ark Putney Academy London
• Ark Evelyn Grace Academy London
• Ark All Saints Academy London
• Ark Globe Academy London
• Ark Walworth Academy London
• Ark King Solomon Academy London
• Ark White City Primary Academy London
• Ark Atwood Primary Academy London
• Ark Bentworth Primary Academy London

What is Ark Bolingbroke Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ark Bolingbroke Academy is Outstanding, from an inspection in October 2024.

When was Ark Bolingbroke Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Ark Bolingbroke Academy was last inspected in October 2024.

How many pupils does Ark Bolingbroke Academy have?

Ark Bolingbroke Academy has 793 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ark Bolingbroke Academy cover?

Ark Bolingbroke Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Ark Bolingbroke Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 56.2, and 68% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Ark Bolingbroke Academy?

Ark Bolingbroke Academy is at Wakehurst Road, London, SW11 6BF.