Ark Evelyn Grace Academy, London
Ark Evelyn Grace Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in London, part of ARK Schools. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2022. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 256th-highest of the 266 schools in London with published results, and 2,868th of 3,298 across England. It was 30% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2022)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
- Progress (2024)
- Below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Lambeth (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Ark Evelyn Grace Academy in detail
Ark Evelyn Grace Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "As Principal of Ark Evelyn Grace Academy, I am delighted to welcome you to our vibrant school community."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at Ark Evelyn Grace Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 38.2, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.5 in Lambeth and 47 across England.
30% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 46% in Lambeth and 47% in England.
That is down from 39.9 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.46: pupils made below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 37.6, against 39.2 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 1.6 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 14 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Business Studies and Spanish.
Getting a place at Ark Evelyn Grace Academy
For September 2026 entry, 25 families put Ark Evelyn Grace Academy as their first choice and 102 named it as one of their preferences, for 51 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Ark Evelyn Grace Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Ark Evelyn Grace Academy are Minerva Virtual Academy (0.4 miles); The Charter School North Dulwich (0.7 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 62.5); Trinity Academy (0.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 40); and The Charter School East Dulwich (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 55.3).
Each of them had higher 2026 results than Ark Evelyn Grace Academy.
Minerva Virtual AcademyThe Charter School North DulwichTrinity AcademyThe Charter School East Dulwich
The trust
Ark Evelyn Grace Academy is one of 48 schools run by ARK Schools, an academy trust.
Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 47.7 in 2024/25.
What parents say
38 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Ark Evelyn Grace Academy (as of September 2025): 82% would recommend the school, 87% say their child is happy there and 73% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (92%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (73%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 109 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 83% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 28% to a further education college and 1% to an apprenticeship.
Who goes there
61.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 31.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Black (49%), Mixed (19%) and other ethnic groups (9%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Loughborough Junction Rail Station, about 620 metres away (roughly a 8-minute walk).
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Moorland Road / Loughborough Park, 70 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Ark Evelyn Grace Academy issued 144 suspensions, 41.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Ark Evelyn Grace Academy are Jessop Primary School (0.1 miles), Hill Mead Primary School (0.2 miles), St Saviour's Church of England Primary School (0.3 miles) and St Jude's Church of England Primary School (0.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Jessop Primary SchoolHill Mead Primary SchoolSt Saviour's Church of England Primary SchoolSt Jude's Church of England Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This is a happy, welcoming school where staff genuinely care that all pupils succeed both academically and personally. The school provides excellent emotional and physical support through counseling and mentoring, with bullying being rare and dealt with quickly. Your child will experience a calm classroom environment with much-improved behavior and learn from teachers who use clear explanations and expert subject knowledge.
Key Strengths
- Strong support for pupils with special educational needs through precise 'pupil passports' and personalized adaptations
- Significantly improved behavior and attendance, creating a calm learning environment
- Excellent support for disadvantaged pupils ensuring they participate fully in school life and aim high
- Clear school values (Community, Ambition, Integrity, Professionalism, Perseverance) reflected in how staff and pupils treat each other
- Well-designed personal, health and social education program with visiting speakers and educational visits
Areas for Improvement
- Some older pupils have gaps in subject knowledge due to previous curriculum delivery weaknesses - teachers need better expertise to assess and address these
- High number of pupil suspensions means some students miss important learning - behavior systems need further embedding to reduce this
- Need to ensure improvements to curriculum teaching are sustained so all pupils achieve well
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Counselling, mentoring, visiting speakers, educational visits, form time activities, workshop days, careers advice and guidance program
Ark Evelyn Grace Academy is a welcoming secondary school that has made significant improvements over the last two years. The school has strengthened its curriculum and behavior systems, though some older pupils still have knowledge gaps from previous weaknesses.
About
Ark Evelyn Grace Academy is a non-selective, coeducational secondary school in Brixton, in the London borough of Lambeth.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
61.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
38 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has remained stable at around -0.46 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 38.7 to 38.2 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 35% to 30% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 38.2 | 30.1% |
| Disadvantaged(50) | - | 37.6 | 28% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(33) | - | 39.2 | 33.3% |
| Boys(48) | - | 38.4 | 31.3% |
| Girls(35) | - | 38.0 | 28.6% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(29) | - | 44.8 | 48.3% |
| Non mobile(68) | - | 39.7 | 33.8% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 109 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
0
Permanent exclusions
0.00%
Exclusion rate
144
Suspensions
41.38%
Suspension rate
80 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 348 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Latest from Ark Evelyn Grace Academy
Ark Evelyn Grace’s GCSE results exceed expectations
20 Aug 2026
Inset Day
11 Aug 2026
Sports Day
11 Aug 2026
Academic Review Day
11 Aug 2026
Summer Showcase
11 Aug 2026
Last day of term- Student dismissal 12:30pm
11 Aug 2026
From Ark Evelyn Grace Academy's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Ark Evelyn Grace Academy
Getting There
Train Stations
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Ark Evelyn Grace Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Ark Evelyn Grace Academy is in Lambeth; for families living there:
- Lambeth's school travel policy: Home to school transport policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 88
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 17
- Children hurt
- 6
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 88 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 17 serious and 70 slight.
6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
13 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Lambeth is 142.5 (the median across 102 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Ark Evelyn Grace Academy
Will you get a place at Ark Evelyn Grace Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Ark Evelyn Grace Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Ark Evelyn Grace Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Ark Evelyn Grace Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Lambeth, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Ark Evelyn Grace Academy for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Lambeth got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
30%
Available places
356 pupils
1,200 places
844 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - London
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for London
Across Lambeth council
Places available
2,111
Applications
2,198
Got 1st preference
61.4%
Got preferred school
91.2%
All secondary applications across Lambeth council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
56
SEN Support
16
EHC Plans
22.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
320
Total Pupils
166
Boys
154
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
23
Teachers
13.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£62,621
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£10,697
Per pupil
£4041k
Total funding
£232k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
9.5%
Overall absence
31.7%
Persistent absence
388
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Ark Evelyn Grace Academy
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Ark Evelyn Grace Academy
What are GCSE results like at Ark Evelyn Grace Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Ark Evelyn Grace Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 38.2. 30% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Ark Evelyn Grace Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ark Evelyn Grace Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2022, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Ark Evelyn Grace Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Ark Evelyn Grace Academy is oversubscribed, Lambeth allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Ark Evelyn Grace Academy?
Ark Evelyn Grace Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 30% of its 1200 places.
How big are the classes at Ark Evelyn Grace Academy?
Classes at Ark Evelyn Grace Academy average 24.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Ark Evelyn Grace Academy?
Ark Evelyn Grace Academy has around 320 pupils on roll. 62% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Ark Evelyn Grace Academy?
9.5% of sessions were missed at Ark Evelyn Grace Academy in 2024/25. 31.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Ark Evelyn Grace Academy?
Apply through Lambeth's coordinated admissions process, naming Ark Evelyn Grace Academy on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Ark Evelyn Grace Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 88 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 17 serious and 70 slight. 6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 13 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Lambeth is 142.5 (the median across 102 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Ark Evelyn Grace Academy?
Ark Evelyn Grace Academy is at 255 Shakespeare Road, Lambeth, London, SE24 0QN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)