Ark Victoria Academy

I am delighted to introduce myself to you as the Head of Year 11. Having worked with the year group for 2 years, I have had the privilege to get to know many of your sons and daughters, and I am looking forward to leading the year group into this new important stage of their education and their GCSE examination studies. I have come to know Year 11 as a conscientious, talented and ambitious group of students whom, whether in an academic or extracurricular capacity, are always dedicated to school life at Ark Victoria.  

As mentioned, pupils will now begin their GCSE year; this is a vital year for all involved. Students will apply to colleges, apprenticeships and prepare for the next steps in their future. This will be supported by staff and all pupils will also have independent guidance from a qualified level 6 careers advisor.  

In keeping with our commitment to provide students with outstanding careers guidance and tailored support when choosing their next step after school, we will now be using Unifrog; an award-winning, online careers platform. All students in Year 11 now have access to this online platform. Unifrog brings into one place every undergraduate university course, apprenticeship, and college course in the UK, as well as other opportunities, such as School Leaver Programmes and every college at Oxford and Cambridge. This makes it easy for students to compare and choose the best university courses, apprenticeships or further education courses for them. They can also explore exciting opportunities further afield by looking at English-taught undergraduate programmes available in Europe and the USA. 

In Year 11 we also elect a student leadership team via a formal application process; the team consists of a Head Boy and a Head Girl, Deputy Head Girl and Boy and Prefects. This is a great opportunity for students to take on a leadership role within school. 

The workload will certainly become more intense in Year 11. Students will be set 1 hour of work for each subject, and on occasion there may be more depending on some coursework deadlines. It is really important that students get used to the routine of sitting and working independently each evening. Every lesson and every day counts and therefore attendance at school is an essential priority for all students. 

It is the Ark Mission to ensure that every pupil can go to university or into the career of their choice. We as a school, alongside pupils and parents will endeavour to support and nurture our pupils to ensure that they reach their maximum potential.  

Miss S Masoud  

Head of Year 11