Welcome to Ark Priory

I am delighted to be Principal at Ark Priory Primary Academy. Our mission – to ensure that all children can attend university or pursue a career of their choice – is incredibly important and something that we keep at the forefront of our minds every day through our academy values of ‘Explore, Endeavour and Excel’; today we lay the foundations for tomorrow’s success.

I believe that all children can succeed with the right support, examples and encouragement, and by instilling the belief into our pupils that their learning, like ours, will never stop. We all play a role in supporting our children to reach their full potential and beyond, to grow into well-rounded and conscientious citizens of the world who offer a positive contribution to society and always have the ‘courage to fly’.

This ambitious vision for Ark Priory pupils starts with an active, engaged community of children, staff and parents, all fully committed to our high expectations for academic success, language, participation, behaviour, dress and attendance; these are the building blocks of your child’s future success. 

We are proud to be part of Ark – a leading education charity and one of the country’s top-performing academy operators, with a shared mission to transform lives through education.

I know that the most important daily concern is for our children to be happy at school, but I also know that it is a key duty of a school to ensure that its pupils leave with the highest academic achievements possible, in order to open the door to the next stage of their learning careers. Here at Ark Priory Primary Academy, our aim is to always get that balance right for our pupils.

I wish you a warm welcome to Ark Priory Primary Academy.

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Dear Ark Priory Primary Academy Community,

I am thrilled and honoured to serve as the Head of School of Ark Priory Primary Academy. Our mission, to ensure that every child can aspire to attend university or pursue a career of their choice, holds immense significance. Anchored in our academy values of 'Explore, Endeavour, and Excel,' we steadfastly lay the foundations for tomorrow's success, shaping the future leaders and contributors to society.

I firmly believe in the potential of every child to succeed when provided with the right support, examples, and encouragement. By instilling in our pupils the belief that learning is a lifelong journey, we aspire to empower them to continuously strive for excellence. As we embark on this journey together, each one of us plays a crucial role in nurturing our children to reach their full potential and become well-rounded, conscientious citizens who embody the 'courage to fly.'

Our vision for Ark Priory pupils is ambitious and transformative. It begins with an active, engaged community comprising children, staff, and parents, all wholeheartedly committed to our high expectations for academic success, language, participation, behaviour, dress, and attendance – the essential building blocks for your child's future success.

Being part of Ark, a leading education charity and one of the country's top-performing academy operators, fills us with pride. Together, we share a common mission to transform lives through education.

While our primary concern is the happiness of our children at school, we also recognize the paramount duty of ensuring that they leave with the highest academic achievements. Striking the right balance is our aim at Ark Priory Primary Academy, where we are dedicated to fostering an environment that nurtures both the emotional well-being and academic prowess of our pupils.

I extend a warm welcome to all members of the Ark Priory Primary Academy family. Together, let us embark on a journey of exploration, endeavour, and excellence, laying the groundwork for a future filled with boundless possibilities.

Best Regards,

Shannaz Rabbani, Head of School,  Ark Priory Primary Academy

Our Ark Priory Primary Academy mission statement is: "To begin the journey to provide every pupil with the opportunity to go on to university or pursue the career of their choice." 

This mission is achieved through Ark Schools' six pillars: high expectations, exemplary behaviour, excellent teaching, more time for learning, depth before breadth and knowing every child.

Our academy poem encapsulates our vision and aims.

Come to the edge.
We might fall.
Come to the edge.
It’s too high!
COME TO THE EDGE!
And they came,
And we pushed,
And they flew.
-- Christopher Logue

Our academy has at its core the pursuit of the highest standards possible in education; we believe in high aspirations, high challenges and high achievement for all. Through our extended curriculum and community life we seek to meet the needs of the whole child. 

Our motto, Courage to fly! underpins all life at school. If children are brave and willing to take risks – to improve, learn new things and embrace new experiences – they will become successful, happy and well equipped to deal with life. We believe in the potential of every child who joins Ark Priory Primary Academy and strive to create a positive learning environment in which our pupils:

• develop enthusiastic and enquiring minds
• question and present rational arguments
• adopt an independent, positive and engaged approach to learning
• challenge themselves and others to achieve excellence

We provide high quality learning and teaching experiences that take into account the intellectual, social, physical, ethical and spiritual development of our pupils. We achieve this through:

• high expectations for pupil achievement and behaviour, and equally high expectations for the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom
• commitment by all parents to the home-school agreement
• an orderly and respectful environment, where pupils can focus on learning, teachers can focus on teaching and parents can share their thoughts and concerns whilst celebrating their child’s successes
• assessment driving achievement, with regular feedback to inform teaching and help staff to formulate targets. Intervention and support is provided for those pupils who do not make the expected level of progress and further challenges are provided for those who excel.

Our children arrive at Ark Priory at an early stage in their development and experience, with their whole lives ahead of them. It is our responsibility to support them to achieve early successes that are maintained in secondary school, university and beyond. Our three core values help us to achieve this:

• Exploration - We encourage all pupils to push and develop themselves through new experiences. Once we develop courage, independence and curiosity, we embrace the unknown and seek answers.
• Endeavour - Hard work and self-improvement are required to reach our goals. The sense of satisfaction and reward that follows endeavour requires courage and risk taking; we recognise effort and progress as well as outcomes.
• Excellence - The culmination of exploration and endeavour – be courageous, challenge yourself, try your best and you will achieve excellence.