Ark Alexandra Academy was pleased to welcome Sir Ian Bauckham CBE, Chief Regulator of the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual), for a visit on Monday 27 April.
Ofqual is the independent regulator of qualifications, exams and assessments in England and ensures qualifications such as GCSEs are fair and reliable.
He was joined by Managing Director of Ark Schools Venessa Willms OBE, and Lorraine Clarke OBE, Ark Director of Primary and Regional Director for Hastings.
Sir Ian spoke to teachers, leaders and pupils about their experience of delivering and taking national qualifications, how assessment works in practice in the classroom, and how assessment shapes curriculum design.
During his visit, Sir Ian toured the William Parker and Helenswood campuses, meeting Executive Principal Rhys Spiers and headteachers Alex Birks Agnew and Tommy Ittu to discuss the school’s approach to assessment and standards at secondary level, their experience of delivering examinations, and their views on proposed qualification reforms. The tours were led by Year 10 students, who also shared their experiences of life at Ark Alexandra.
Ark Alexandra Academy saw a significant improvement in outcomes last summer, with the proportion of students achieving passes in both English and mathematics GCSE increasing by 13 percentage points. Disadvantaged students and those with SEND saw even greater gains, with improvements of 16 and 17 percentage points respectively.
Ark Alexandra Academy is now the top-performing secondary school in Hastings, with strong results across Attainment 8, English and maths, and the EBacc. The academy has also been recognised nationally, winning the ‘Outstanding Progress – Secondary School’ award at the Education Business Awards 2026.
Sir Ian Bauckham said, “It was a real pleasure to visit both Ark Blacklands Primary Academy and Ark Alexandra Academy this week, inspiring to see the journey the schools have been on and helpful to hear directly from teachers and students about their experience of assessment from primary through to secondary.
For qualifications to work properly, parents, teachers, students, employers and universities all need to be able to trust and value them. That trust is built through the rigorous maintenance of standards that ensure qualifications give a reliable and consistent indication of knowledge, skills and understanding.”
