About Us

ARK Assessments was founded by Parminder Kairo, who has worked within the educational sector for over 20 years. Parminder is currently an independent assessor who holds an SpLD Assessment Practising Certificate (APC) awarded by the British Dyslexia Association. He has completed advanced ADHD diagnostic training at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neurodevelopmental Science, King’s College London. Parminder also managed several assessment centres across the UK, which were approved by the Department for Education (DfE).

As an undergraduate student, Parminder was awarded the Rosie Gandolfi Memorial Prize for outstanding academic research. He then went on to study at Warwick University, where he successfully completed his postgraduate degree. This led to exciting opportunities to participate in scholarly conferences held at the University of Cambridge and Hofstra University in New York.

Early on in his career, he was involved in postgraduate research, lecturing, and working as an associate examiner. During his doctoral research at the University of Birmingham, he was formally diagnosed as dyslexic. Through this personal experience, Parminder became passionate about helping others to become independent and confident learners.

In 2013, he successfully secured funding from the Big Lottery Fund and founded a disability-related support service for students in further education. Parminder began to specialise in working closely with disabled learners across various UK universities. He personally developed and delivered assistive technology workshops, specialist study skills programmes, and coping strategy sessions for students diagnosed with the following conditions:

• SpLD (Specific Learning Differences including Dyslexia, ADD, ADHD, Dyspraxia, and Dyscalculia)
• Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC)
• Mental Health Conditions (Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Depression, PTSD)
• Long-Term Medical conditions

In 2016, Parminder became a freelance Specialist Study Needs Assessor for students in Higher Education. Parminder worked with large organisations such as Capita and regional University-based assessment centres. He has assessed and written reports for over a thousand students, accumulating a wealth of knowledge and experience.

ARK Assessments has already started working with various industry stakeholders to ensure students are provided with the necessary reasonable adjustments, assistive technology, and specialist one-to-one support.

In 2020, Parminder successfully secured a 4-year tender contract to provide diagnostic assessment services for the University of Derby. In 2023, ARK Assessments became a leading training provider for the PainChek Universal app, which utilises AI technology to assess pain in dementia patients. ARK Assessments is now registered as a non-medical provider of specialist support with the Department for Education (DfE).

In 2026, ARK Assessments was awarded “Diagnosis Service of the Year” at the Prestige Awards for service excellence. The Prestige Awards recognise small and medium-sized businesses that have proven to be the best in their markets, based on evidence of their work and positive client feedback.