Building strong foundations: Ark Start John Keats celebrates its first year

29 July 2026

In its first year, Ark Start John Keats has supported 108 children, more than doubling the size of its previous nursery provision.

When Ark John Keats partnered with Ark Start to open a school-based nursery in September 2025, the goal was simple: to give local families access to high-quality early years education in a setting connected to the wider school community.

Welcoming children from as young as nine months old, the nursery allows families to join the all-through school community even earlier. For Principal Katie Marshall, it was an opportunity to offer greater support to local children and families.

“In Enfield, there is a real need for high-quality and affordable early years provision. We already had a nursery as part of our primary school, but we felt that if we could offer more for families, it would be really well received – and we were right.”

Supporting local families

In its first year, Ark Start John Keats has supported 108 children, more than doubling the size of its previous nursery provision.

“Those early years matter so much. Not every family has easy access to the support and expertise that can make a difference to a child’s development. Being able to welcome children from nine months gives them a really strong start.”

For Katie, one of the biggest attractions of working with Ark Start was not just their expertise in early years education, but their experience of opening and operating nurseries.

“Opening a nursery is a huge undertaking. There are regulations, recruitment, systems, processes and all sorts of practical considerations that sit behind the scenes. One of the things that gave us real confidence was knowing that Ark Start had done this before.

“Having a team that understood both the educational and operational side of running a nursery meant we could focus on creating something really special for families.”

Katie is keen to stress that nursery education is about much more than childcare.

“It’s not simply childcare. It’s about language development, building relationships, developing confidence and fostering curiosity. Children are learning all the time, and the curriculum has been thoughtfully designed to support them at every stage.”

The strongest start for every child

While Ark Start John Keats has only been open for a year, outcomes from the wider Ark Start network demonstrate the impact of high-quality early years education. Last year, 88% of children attending Ark Start nurseries were assessed as school ready on entry to reception, compared with 67% nationally. Outcomes were particularly strong for children eligible for Free School Meals, with 83% achieving a Good Level of Development (GLD) – 32 percentage points above the national average for disadvantaged children.

As an all-through school, Ark John Keats already supports young people from reception through to sixth form.

“We’re really committed to working with families throughout their child’s journey. Supporting children from their earliest years feels like a natural extension of that.”

One year on, Katie is excited about the long-term impact the nursery could have.

“If we can give children a strong start and support families from the very beginning, that’s something that can have a lasting impact throughout their education.”