E-ACT Crest Academy

E-ACT Crest Academy is a large, inclusive secondary school in Neasden, serving a disadvantaged community as part of the E-ACT academy trust. Safeguarding standards are met. Inspectors found the school generally performing at the expected standard across achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Sixth-form provision needs attention because academic outcomes are below national averages, although vocational outcomes are stronger and leaders' improvement work is beginning to have an impact. The school's strengths lie in its caring and inclusive ethos, strong pastoral support and the way pupils feel safe and part of the community. Attendance has improved to broadly national averages, persistent absence has fallen significantly, and behaviour has improved markedly, with calm classrooms and fewer suspensions and exclusions. Leaders have created an aspirational culture, governance and trust oversight are effective, and staff speak positively about leadership, professional development and wellbeing. The curriculum is ambitious and well planned, reading and numeracy support is helping vulnerable pupils, and personal development and careers provision are broad and effective. Key concerns remain. Teaching is not fully consistent, and teachers do not always check pupils' understanding well enough, so misconceptions can persist. Adaptations for pupils with SEND are sometimes too generic and inconsistently applied, leading to unfinished work and gaps in learning. Post-16 academic achievement remains below national averages, and variation in sixth-form curriculum delivery means some students do not achieve as well as they should. Leaders have accurately identified these issues and have strategies in place, but the work is not yet fully embedded.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive safeguarding culture.
• Pupils feel safe, valued and part of a caring, inclusive school community.
• Attendance has improved to broadly national averages, with persistent absence falling significantly.
• Behaviour has improved notably, with calm classrooms and respectful relationships.
• Suspensions and exclusions have reduced markedly over the year.
• Leaders have established an aspirational culture and lead by example.
• Trust and governors provide effective oversight and focused support and challenge.
• The curriculum is ambitious and well planned, with clear knowledge sequencing.
• Reading and numeracy support has a substantially positive impact on vulnerable groups.
• Staff benefit from a coherent research-based professional learning programme and feel valued.
• Personal development provision is broad, well designed and supports pupils' character and safety.
• The careers programme is appropriate and effective, helping pupils understand future options.
• Pastoral support for vulnerable pupils is particularly effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching experiences are not fully consistent across the school.
• Teachers do not always check how well pupils have understood new knowledge, so misconceptions can persist.
• Adaptations for pupils with SEND are not consistently precise, and guidance can be too generic.
• Some pupils leave work unfinished and have gaps in their learning because support is inconsistent.
• Post-16 academic achievement remains below national averages, despite recent improvement.
• Variation in sixth-form curriculum delivery means some students do not achieve as well as they should.
• Recent actions to strengthen sixth-form achievement are not yet fully embedded.
• Some pupils are not consistently supported to develop the self-discipline and dedication needed to achieve as well as possible.

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 Crest Academy attended 92.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 24.8% 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, 16.7% of pupils at E-ACT Crest 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 Crest Academy had 17.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 27.9% 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, 8.3% of pupils at E-ACT Crest Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.6% 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 Crest Academy received £9,949 and spent £8,738 for each of its 1,206 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,295,000 (£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 Brent · Brent local authority: places and applications

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

• Braintcroft E-ACT Primary Academy London
• City Heights E-ACT Academy London
• Denham Green E-ACT Primary Academy Denham Green
• Chalfont Valley E-ACT Primary Academy Amersham
• E-Act Bourne End Academy Bourne End
• E-Act Ousedale School Newport Pagnell
• DSLV E-ACT Academy Daventry
• E-ACT The Grange School Daventry
• The Parker E-ACT Academy Daventry
• E-ACT Heartlands Academy Birmingham

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

The latest Ofsted rating for E-ACT Crest Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

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

E-ACT Crest Academy was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does E-ACT Crest Academy have?

E-ACT Crest Academy has 1,116 pupils on roll.

What age range does E-ACT Crest Academy cover?

E-ACT Crest Academy for pupils aged 11 to 19.

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

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 40.0, and 41% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is E-ACT Crest Academy?

E-ACT Crest Academy is at Crest Road, Neasden, London, NW2 7SN.