Evaluation of Ark Start provision and child outcomes
SQW has been commissioned by Ark Start to evaluate the impact its nurseries are having on children. Ark Start is a not-for-profit nursery group, part of the Ark education charity, with the objective of ensuring that every child has access to an excellent early years education and that families have access to flexible and affordable childcare. Ark Start currently operates six nurseries in London, and their model seeks to balance teacher-led and child-responsive provision.
This evaluation follows on from SQW’s previous work for Ark Start, in which we considered how Ark Start’s model and delivery impacts children, their families and Ark Start’s staff. During the 2025 and 2026 evaluation, we are focusing specifically on children’s development and outcomes.
SQW researchers will visit three Ark Start settings across London, to learn more about how the Ark Start model is implemented in practice, as well as consulting with Ark Start leadership, members of the Ark Start staff team across settings, and external stakeholders with insight into the early years sector. We will also review the wider evidence base, and conduct in-depth analysis of child development outcomes data, focused on the achievement of the Good Level of Development (GLD).
It is expected that the findings from this year’s evaluation will be used to communicate Ark Start’s impact to the wider early years and education sectors.
For further information, please contact Lauren Roberts, SQW Project Director, via lroberts@sqw.co.uk, Bill Carroll, SQW Project Manager, via bcarroll@sqw.co.uk, or Jonny Tyndall, Ark Start Programmes Lead, via Jonny.Tyndall@arkonline.org.
