Ark is a charity that exists to make sure that all children, regardless of their background, have access to a great education and real choices in life. Now 20 years old, Ark runs 39 schools, reaching 30,000 children through a network of primary, secondary and all-through schools across Birmingham, Hastings, London and Portsmouth. Supporting schools in the most challenging circumstances, we achieve impressive results across the network. Our 2022 exam results saw our students perform better than the national average at every age and stage.
As part of our mission, we also share what we learn in our classrooms to have an impact across the whole system. Our Ventures are tackling some of the challenging problems facing young people.
Our Trustee Board and Committees work in tandem with our central team and Local Governing Bodies (LGBs) to realise progress towards our mission.
Our governance structure
As a multi-academy trust, Ark Schools is one legal entity – a charitable company regulated by the Department for Education (DfE). We have a Master Funding Agreement with the Department for Education and a Supplemental Funding Agreement for each individual school.
Overall Board and Committee purpose
The Ark Schools Board and Risk and Audit Committee set organisational strategy, oversee educational and financial outcomes, and fulfil all statutory duties required. This includes approving the network-wide three-year strategy, annual operating plan, budget, scheme of delegation and policies. They approve new schools to join or be launched by the network and hold the Executive team to account on delivering educational and operational targets. The Board lead on the review of educational plans including curriculum, assessment, and aspirations for our students.
The Risk and Audit Committee undertake in-depth scrutiny of Ark Schools’ financial and operational delivery, working in close partnership with the Chief Operating Officer. They are responsible for overseeing the audit regime, internal controls, budgeting process and annual accounts. They own the Ark Schools risk strategy at Board level, including undertaking detailed due diligence of new schools joining or being launched by the network. Committee members also work with the Executive team outside meetings to review policies and project work on behalf of the Board.
As well as these governance responsibilities, Board and Committee members act as strong advocates for Ark Schools and uphold our commitment to bring value and support to the wider education sector.
More information about our governance arrangements can be found on the Ark Schools Decision Making Framework.