E-ACT Shenley Academy

E-ACT Shenley Academy is a mixed secondary comprehensive in the E-ACT multi-academy trust. Following this June 2025 graded inspection, the quality of education and leadership and management require improvement, while behaviour and attitudes and personal development are good. Inspectors found pupils feel happy and safe, pastoral support is strong, behaviour expectations have been raised, and pupils benefit from a wider extra-curricular offer and a personal development programme that prepares them well for adult life. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The main concerns centre on how consistently the curriculum is delivered. Teaching does not always use the strategies leaders have identified, assessment does not reliably identify pupils' prior knowledge or gaps, and expectations for pupils' engagement and quality of work are sometimes not high enough. Reading support has been increased but is recent and not yet having the desired impact, and pupils with SEND can be particularly disadvantaged when new knowledge is not explained clearly. Attendance remains a school and trust priority, although support is helping to reduce absence. The school has experienced significant leadership change, with the current executive headteacher taking up post in November 2024. New leaders have accurately identified priorities, governance understands the work still needed, and staff value engagement from leaders about workload and well-being. The school and trust recognise that further improvement is required, and staff are committed to supporting it.

Strengths

• Pupils feel happy and safe at school.
• High-quality pastoral support gives pupils trusted adults to turn to.
• Raised behaviour expectations and a clear behaviour policy reduce disruption in lessons.
• Pupils learn and value the school's 'Respect, Resilience and Responsibility' values.
• Extra-curricular opportunities have been widened, including craft, music and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award.
• Pupils can take on leadership roles such as well-being ambassadors.
• The personal development programme prepares pupils well for adult life.
• The school teaches pupils about local dangers, including the risks of knife crime.
• Careers work includes workshops, guest speakers and visits to higher education providers.
• The school accurately identifies pupils with SEND and provides additional support.
• Work to identify barriers to attendance and support families is helping reduce absence.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• New leaders have accurately highlighted priority areas for improvement.
• Staff are committed to supporting future improvement.

Areas for Improvement

• The quality of education requires improvement.
• Leadership and management require improvement.
• Curriculum delivery is not consistently effective across subjects.
• Assessment does not reliably identify pupils' starting points or gaps in knowledge.
• The curriculum is not always adapted effectively to address gaps or misunderstandings.
• Expectations for pupils' engagement and quality of work are sometimes not high enough.
• Low engagement is not always challenged, so some pupils do not complete work to the expected standard.
• Reading support strategies are recent and have not yet had the desired impact.
• Pupils with SEND are particularly disadvantaged when new knowledge is not explained clearly and precisely.
• Improving attendance remains a school and trust priority.

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 Shenley Academy attended 86.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 40.0% 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, 26.1% of pupils at E-ACT Shenley Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 Shenley Academy had 17.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 37.7% 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, 30.0% of pupils at E-ACT Shenley Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.7% 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 Shenley Academy received £10,056 and spent £6,656 for each of its 795 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £854,000 (£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 Shenley Academy is part of E-Act, which runs 37 schools. The nearest others:

• Merritts Brook Primary E-ACT Academy Birmingham
• E-ACT Heartlands Academy Birmingham
• Mansfield Green E-ACT Academy Birmingham
• E-ACT Nechells Academy Birmingham
• E-ACT North Birmingham 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 Shenley Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for E-ACT Shenley Academy is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in July 2025.

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

E-ACT Shenley Academy was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does E-ACT Shenley Academy have?

E-ACT Shenley Academy has 746 pupils on roll.

What age range does E-ACT Shenley Academy cover?

E-ACT Shenley Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

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

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 32.9, and 28% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is E-ACT Shenley Academy?

E-ACT Shenley Academy is at Shenley Lane, Northfield, Birmingham, West Midlands, B29 4HE.