Ark (charity)


Absolute Return for Kids , is an international children's educational charity based in the United Kingdom.
Ark is a registered charity under English law and is based in London. In 2017–18 it had a gross income of £14.66 million with 42 employees.
Ark is the parent organisation of Ark Schools, a separate legal entity that is a Multi-academy trust in the English education system, with 36 schools and nearly 24,000 pupils.

History

Ark was co-founded in 2002 by a group of hedge fund financiers including Paul Marshall and Ian Wace of Marshall Wace and Arpad Busson of EIM Group, who was the founding chairman of its board of trustees.
Its aim was to improve the life chances of children, by creating high returns on philanthropic investment. Since 2014, the charity has been known as Ark.
Its charitable objects are: "to make sure that all children, regardless of their background, have access to a great education and real choices in life. ark incubates, launches and scales ventures that share our mission and values."

Activities

Ark operates in the UK, South Africa, Zimbabwe and India. In the US, it is affiliated to Absolute Return for Kids US, Inc., a US philanthropic organisation which shares Ark's mission, and which supports the work of Ark through grants.
Ark works in the areas of Education, Health and Child Protection. In England, its subsidiary Ark Schools is a multi-academy trust responsible for the schools that Ark runs, and is a separate legal entity with exempt charity status.
Ark Schools was created in 2004 to work with the Department for Education and local authorities to create new schools for inner cities through the academies programme. Its aim is to help close the achievement gap between children from disadvantaged and more affluent backgrounds. Its academies focus on raising attainment with the aim of every pupil going into higher education when they complete school. They are frequently held up by the government as an example of a successful multi-academy trust, where at least seven others were failing. Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw stepped down in 2016 and was replaced by Amanda Spielman, the founder of Ark Schools and an accountant.
As of 2019, Ark runs 36 schools in the English education system, and plans to grow further in spite of being criticised for running schools at a deficit.

List of Ark schools in England

Primary schools

As of November 2018 its trustees are Ian Wace, Lord Fink, Sir Paul Marshall, Anthony Williams and Anthony Clake.
Ark's Founding Chairman, Arpad Busson, is a member of the Global Board and is Chairman of Absolute Return for Kids, US, Inc.