Welcome from our Principal
Welcome to Ark Burlington Danes Academy. We are an all through school serving pupils aged 3-18 from our local community in the borough of Hammersmith & Fulham. At Ark Burlington Danes Academy, 'we believe that through learning to our fullest potential and living a life filled with kindness and thankfulness, we can be the ones to make the world a better place'.
Our Academy culture and core values act as the multiplier to make every decision, action and interaction within the Academy stronger and more effective. These are:
- Aim High - ‘We have the highest expectations of ourselves and of each other, every single day.’
- Be Kind - ‘We are kind to others, no matter what the circumstances.’
- Be Brave - ‘We take on big challenges and are prepared to do difficult things, it that is what is needed.’
- Keep Learning - ‘We are open to new ideas, and we learn from our mistakes as much as our successes.’
We live and breathe these values, every minute of every day at BDA so every student is empowered to live a life that is purposeful, fulfilling and be the ones to make the world a better place. Every single student at BDA will achieve outcomes that enable them to compete with anyone in society, regardless of any challenges that they face, by taking ownership of their actions and understanding that these will determine their future success and create their character as an individual.
All staff at BDA strive to continually learn and improve so that they can be the very best teacher, leader and support staff member and therefore ensure our students have the education and character to achieve anything they set their mind to. The Academy has the highest expectations for all, and we will make no apologies for that. Our school culture and core values is our compass throughout our journey to ensure our students receive the very best education every single day.
Having been founded as a Christian charity school in 1699, we are proud not just of our heritage and significant history, but especially of how this Christian ethos permeates all aspects of our school life. Our focus on our students achieving exceptional exam results drives our excellent academic outcomes and enables our students to access the best universities and careers, with over 50% of our students gaining a place at a Russell Group university. Our unique curriculum offer encompasses a highly academic range of subjects and a structured enrichment offer which takes full advantage of our unique sports, arts and music facilities as the largest school site in central London.
Our carefully curated programme helps our students to develop their confidence, resilience and character, enabling them to become the leaders of the future. Our commitment to our students’ broader development is evident throughout the cultural life of our school and our pioneering work on diversity, demonstrating why Burlington Danes is such a special place to learn.
David Carr, Principal
Our Curriculum
We provide a full, rigorous and academic education which enables students to go on to the university or career of their choice. We know that it is qualifications which will open doors for our young people.
As an Ark School we deliver the Ark Mastery Complete Curriculum Programmes in English, Maths, Science, Geography and Music. This means that every child has access to a world-class curriculum that is delivered in every Ark School.
To ensure every child can continue to learn our curriculum at home as well as at school every student from Year 4 is issued with a Chromebook tablet. This is taken home and used to access our online learning platform.
Our teachers believe every pupil matters and every lesson counts. Every teacher works incredibly hard and believes no matter their background, circumstances or ability; every pupil can succeed. As part of Ark Schools, they access sector-leading training and expertise from across the network.
Inclusivity and empowerment are at the centre of all that we do. We aim for our curriculum to be fully diversified across all areas to reflect the realities of world history; ensuring our students are empowered to go on to make the world a better place.
Every day our students study the news and current affairs. We go beyond the national curriculum to provide our students with the wider social, cultural, political and economic knowledge our students need to thrive in the world today.
On Friday, thanks to @intouniversity some year 8 students had the amazing opportunity to visit @somervillecollegeox… https://t.co/zp815abhqA
Ark Burlington Danes
6 days 21 hours ago
🍃Friday marked another day of Geography field work where students braved the river to measure its depth, width and… https://t.co/3novkcluhC
Ark Burlington Danes
6 days 21 hours ago
We’re ready for our year 9 options talk! Can’t wait to see our parents shortly! #options #burlingtondanes… https://t.co/7ut7SuUCy9
Ark Burlington Danes
1 week 4 days ago
Co-Curriculum
Our sports facilities include a state-of-the-art gym and boxing ring, a dance studio, netball and basketball courts as well as extensive fields and Astroturf for football, rugby and hockey.
Music at BDA helps develop self-expression, self-discipline, performance and team work as well as building a strong sense of community through collective participation. Our aim is for every pupil to play an instrument confidently and to take part in regular performances in our 300-seat theatre.
Our enrichment programme enables our students to deepen existing interests or stoke their passion for something new - with around fifty different enrichment clubs available, there is plenty to choose from. Students take part in international trips and make use of facilities such as our own art gallery.
Relatable role models come into school to broaden students’ experiences and to encourage development of the habits, skills and mindsets required to be successful at university and in professional life. We provide high quality guidance about their next steps at age 14, 16 and 18.
Pastoral Care
Our pastoral system ensures no child is left behind. As a member of the Ark network of schools, we have access to a range of impactful resources and comprehensive policies carefully shaped by sector leading expertise.
Behaviour
Calm, purpose and order will be established through consistency of expectations and explicit teaching of discipline. We will recognise, encourage and reward good behaviour. We do not tolerate bad behaviour and maintain clear rules, not accepting excuses.
Inclusion
Our vision for all students, including those who may have SEND, is that they will develop the necessary skills, knowledge and attributes to be able to lead happy and successful lives. We differentiate and adapt our curriculum to ensure that our SEND students succeed without narrowing what is learnt.
Safeguarding
Our staff and governors see safeguarding the welfare of our pupils as their number one priority. We have robust systems to ensure the safety of all our pupils, at all times, within the academy and on related school trips and other activities.
Mental health
Our pastoral team works closely with parents, teachers and students, to help overcome any barriers to learning that students may face on their journey towards adult life. We have an extensive range of mental health provision onsite from adolescent psychotherapy through to counselling and CBT.
Anti-bullying
We have a zero-tolerance approach to bullying. We adopt the attitude that ‘it does happen here’ and as such we have developed clear systems to enable any student or parent to report an issue or concern to us at any time. Our non-teaching Heads of Year ensure that every student is known to an adult and that we can intervene swiftly where required.
Physical health
We support our students to develop healthy habits in nutrition and exercise. We offer a breakfast club each morning and a freshly prepared meal at lunch. We have fully qualified coaches who run sports clubs every lunchtime and after school to enable every student to take part.
