E-Act Ousedale School

E-ACT Ousedale School is a large, happy and inclusive secondary school with a sixth form, serving pupils across two campuses and part of the E-ACT multi-academy trust since September 2024. Pupils typically learn very well across a broad curriculum, with high expectations and strong outcomes for many, including pupils with SEND. Behaviour is usually polite, calm and focused, attendance is high, and pupils feel safe and listened to. Geography and music are particular curriculum strengths. Personal development is exceptional and central to the school's ethos, with extensive opportunities in music, drama, leadership and careers. Careers education is particularly well organised and leads to positive destinations, including university, degree apprenticeships and conservatoire placements. Leadership at all levels, including within the trust, is knowledgeable and strategic, and staff feel well supported with training and workload. The main areas for improvement are limited but real: in a very small number of subjects, teaching does not consistently reinforce earlier learning or check pupils' understanding before moving on, so some pupils' knowledge is less secure. In a couple of subjects, the curriculum is not always delivered as intended. The proportion of pupils entering the EBacc at GCSE has been low historically, although it is rising following curriculum reorganisation. Safeguarding is effective.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, respectful and inclusive, embodying the school's vision.
• High expectations help many pupils, including those with SEND, to achieve extremely highly.
• Pupils attend regularly and behaviour is typically polite, calm and focused, especially in the sixth form.
• Personal development is exceptional and central to the school's ethos.
• Music and drama provision is highly regarded, with popular annual productions and ensembles.
• Careers education is extremely well organised and leads to positive destinations.
• Leaders at all levels, including within the trust, are knowledgeable and strategic.
• Staff feel well supported through effective training and attention to workload and well-being.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Geography and music are particular curriculum strengths.
• Sixth-form students are articulate and take part in debates and youth council representation.
• Provision for vulnerable pupils is well thought through.

Areas for Improvement

• In a very small number of subjects, teaching does not sufficiently reinforce earlier learning or systematically check understanding, leaving some pupils' knowledge less secure.
• In a couple of subjects, the curriculum is not routinely delivered as intended and learning sometimes moves on before pupils have embedded knowledge.
• The proportion of pupils entering the EBacc at GCSE has been low, although it is rising after curriculum reorganisation.

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 Ousedale School attended 93.2% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 15.2% 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, 1.9% of pupils at E-Act Ousedale School 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 Ousedale School had 18.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.2% 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, 16.4% of pupils at E-Act Ousedale School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.1% 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 Ousedale School received £7,260 and spent £8,224 for each of its 2,268 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £2,435,000 (£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 Newport Pagnell · Milton Keynes local authority: places and applications

E-Act Ousedale School is part of E-Act, which runs 37 schools. The nearest others:

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

What is E-Act Ousedale School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for E-Act Ousedale School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was E-Act Ousedale School last inspected by Ofsted?

E-Act Ousedale School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does E-Act Ousedale School have?

E-Act Ousedale School has 2,239 pupils on roll.

What age range does E-Act Ousedale School cover?

E-Act Ousedale School for pupils aged 11 to 19.

What are E-Act Ousedale School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 50.8, and 55% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is E-Act Ousedale School?

E-Act Ousedale School is at The Grove, Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, MK16 0BJ.