E-ACT Heartlands Academy

E-ACT Heartlands Academy is performing exceptionally well across all areas. Pupils enjoy school, feel safe and are academically ambitious. The school’s mission to ‘empower dreams’ is realised through an ambitious curriculum that pupils access successfully, leading to strong outcomes, including high numbers securing English and mathematics qualifications. Disadvantaged pupils achieve as highly as their peers, and pupils with SEND are precisely identified and well supported through a ‘SEND first’ approach. The school has highly consistent teaching, effective checking of learning and responsive support for pupils who need help with reading. Safeguarding, behaviour and attendance are managed in a joined-up and highly effective way, contributing to high attendance and very good behaviour. Personal development is strong, with pupils developing moral responsibility, understanding of different faiths and cultures, and good careers support. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2014, when it was exempt from routine inspection after being judged outstanding. The school is part of the E-ACT trust, and trust and school leaders are committed to managing staff workload and supporting improvement. Inspectors found much that is exemplary, with no significant weaknesses identified.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe, enjoy school and behave very well.
• The ambitious curriculum is accessed successfully by all pupils.
• Pupils achieve strong outcomes, including in English and mathematics.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve as highly as their peers.
• Focused work in Year 7 helps close pupils’ knowledge gaps.
• The school checks learning carefully and reteaches key content when needed.
• Highly effective support helps pupils become confident, fluent readers.
• Pupils with SEND have their needs precisely identified and well supported.
• Teaching approaches are used consistently well across the school.
• Teachers demonstrate strong subject knowledge and model thinking thoughtfully.
• Safeguarding, behaviour and attendance are managed excellently together.
• Attendance is high and poor behaviour is dealt with fairly and consistently.
• Personal development and an inclusive culture build pupils’ moral responsibility.
• Pupils gain a deep understanding of different faiths and cultures.
• Pupils receive helpful careers support for post-16 choices.
• Staff feel cared for and workload is managed well, including through technology.
• Trust leaders support the school well in moving forward.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at E-ACT Heartlands Academy attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 9.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 6.2% of pupils at E-ACT Heartlands Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 E-ACT Heartlands Academy had 18.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.4% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 13.1% of pupils at E-ACT Heartlands Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 0.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 E-ACT Heartlands Academy received £9,407 and spent £8,432 for each of its 833 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £894,000 (£1,074 per pupil).

Across all 37 schools of E-Act, income was £8,727 and spending £8,448 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Birmingham · Birmingham local authority: places and applications

E-ACT Heartlands Academy is part of E-Act, which runs 37 schools. The nearest others:

• E-ACT Nechells Academy Birmingham
• Mansfield Green E-ACT Academy Birmingham
• E-ACT North Birmingham Academy Birmingham
• E-ACT Shenley Academy Birmingham
• Merritts Brook Primary E-ACT Academy Birmingham
• West Walsall E-ACT Academy Walsall
• Reedswood E-ACT Academy Walsall
• Willenhall E-ACT Academy Willenhall
• E-ACT The Grange School Daventry
• The Parker E-ACT Academy Daventry

What is E-ACT Heartlands Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for E-ACT Heartlands Academy is Outstanding, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was E-ACT Heartlands Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

E-ACT Heartlands Academy was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does E-ACT Heartlands Academy have?

E-ACT Heartlands Academy has 868 pupils on roll.

What age range does E-ACT Heartlands Academy cover?

E-ACT Heartlands Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are E-ACT Heartlands Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 48.7, and 56% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is E-ACT Heartlands Academy?

E-ACT Heartlands Academy is at Great Francis Street, Nechells, Birmingham, West Midlands, B7 4QR.