Ark Schools Reviews

Pros

Staff are all committed to the charity's Good work-life balance with working from home available Decent salary Management care about staff - there is a good culture of social events and opportunities for training

Cons

Limited opportunities to progress into senior roles

Pros

There are a few good people working for them

Cons

- FAR too much micro-management - Pay is terrible and not commensurate with real professional fees (ironic when the CEO banks close to 1/4 of a million) - Don't feel listened to - Poor communication with employees - Management seem to pass the buck

Advice to Management

Pay more/stop micro-managing and treat your employees with more respect/concern for their well-being - trust them to get on with the job!

Pros

None this is a miserable place to work

Cons

Poisonous working environment, poor staff retention

Advice to Management

Try another career

Pros

In an Ark school, pupils always say that they enjoy being challenged and learning interesting things. There are alot of days that involve science, maths and many more. As an academy, there is the freedom for Teachers to test the waters on making education interesting. More opportunity to help that pupil (learning, personal and social development).

Cons

It is unfortunate that the work environment is very toxic. SLT tend to have the upper hand over staff of a position under them. It is easy for SLTs to get away with indirect mistreatment. This is not questioned by HR. Examples can be by constantly picking on staff members under them for no good reasons. This is dissapointing, as some of this has nothing to do with the childrens wellbeing, but their ego. Treatment...

Advice to Management

-Practice what you preach; if you want the pupils to understand respect and compassion, show this to all staff members regardless of background/ position. -Think how your actions/ intentions affect others. - Be grateful of the people that you work with. -Have respect for others career development. -Have enough staff ratio to reduce safeguarding risk.

Pros

Worked in a supportive and sociable team. Worked for a forward thinking head of team that pushed for our growth and development unfortunately this is not typical of a head of team/senior manager across the organisation.

Cons

Lack of diversity, particularly at senior management level. Have no chance to progress if you don't fit a certain mould. Majority of junior staff are overworked and underpaid which leads to high turnover in certain roles as staff at this level do not feel valued by their managers/organisation. Hierarchical structure which means a lengthy 'sign off' process that pro longs decision making and senior management team...

Advice to Management

Make diversity and inclusion a priority. Stop hiring in your own image. Stop making decisions at a top level without getting buy in from the employees these decisions will ultimately effect . Listen to issues being raised by current employees and you need to be pro active in trying to resolve them and not just pass it on to HR to deal with. Lead by example and actively embody the 'Ark Values' instead of using...

Pros

Great people, great opportunities, great challenges.

Cons

Too much corporate culture. Older and experienced teachers are valuable, but seem to be seen as expendable and expensive.

Advice to Management

Allow greater freedom. See the value of older staff. Branding is not everything.

Pros

Working with children is always rewarding

Cons

Too many responsibilities, too little time, awful pay and conditions

Pros

Great colleagues - many who left at the same time I did. The salary was relatively good High expectations of the children

Cons

There was very little room for career progression. Professional development was limited and training provided was very narrow and specific to the ARK organistion. There was a reluctance to spend money on essential resources or supply teachers and teachers were actively discouraged to take time off when sick. The Ark approach to delivering education and managing behaviour is not very child centred nor does it...

Advice to Management

Listen to, respect and value staff. Create opportunities for all to progress, develop and receive relevant training. Provide support for hardworking staff where it is needed and see the children and their families as individuals not just numbers within this large organisation.