Welcome to Ark Conway Primary Academy - a primary school for 4-11 year olds which opened on Hemlock Road in September 2011.
Our school is non-denominational and non-selective, with one form of entry welcoming children of all abilities from the local area. Having just one form of entry ensures that we know every child and their family, enabling us to build a thriving, close-knit community.
We pride ourselves on having the highest expectations for all pupils at the school, which results in high achievement for all. Our values-based culture creates a happy and respectful environment, where children develop self-awareness and embrace learning from their mistakes.
Our aim is for each child to leave our school with a strong foundation for secondary learning. We want them to have gained the skills to be life-long learners, the knowledge and confidence to be able to question and, most of all, a true love of learning.
At Ark Conway Primary Academy, every member of staff is vital. Through outstanding leadership, teaching and pastoral support, we provide an inspirational environment which celebrates success and encourages pupils to strive for excellence in everything they do. We are also 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 look forward to meeting you and welcoming you to our school community.
Rebecca Ross-Wood
Ark Conway Academy is characterised by its core values
- Aspiration – Everyone can succeed
- Respect – We are mindful of the needs and feelings of others
- Perseverance – We never give up, even when things seem hard
- Honesty – We value truth
- Courage
Our vision
Our vision is to inspire excellence. We inspire our pupils to learn, to achieve and to succeed. Our staff understand what excellence looks like; they model it, celebrate it and do whatever it takes to ensure that our pupils achieve it. Our strong parent community also play a vital role in our commitment to high standards.
Our name
Lady Katherine Conway lived in London in the 1600s, and is buried nearby in St Mary's Church. When she died, she left much of her wealth to support local people. Local records tell us that she left "£20 per annum to the Parish, £10 of which was to be distributed to the poor at Christmas and Midsummer, while the other £10 was allocated to teaching six poor children to read, and distributing bread to 21 poor people every Sunday". She also left £20 per annum towards apprenticing children.
The teaching of ‘six poor children to read’ carried on until the 19th Century, giving hundreds of children a better start in life and improving their life prospects dramatically.
The following is inscribed in gilt lettering on the black marble of Lady Conway’s memorial tablet at St. Mary's Church, Acton:
The poore who did thy life with prayers befreind
And on thy funerall herse in teares Attend
Shew their deuotion still and send on high
Their prayses for thy blessed charitie
May thy example others teach to giue,
That when they die their fame (like thine) may liue.