Willenhall E-ACT Academy

Willenhall E-ACT Academy has improved markedly since its previous inspection and now provides a good quality of education, with behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management also judged good. The school, part of the E-ACT Trust, has overhauled its curriculum and raised expectations; pupils’ attendance has risen, they typically enjoy learning, and they respond well to the school’s high behaviour expectations. Strong pastoral care and individualised support help pupils feel happy and safe, including those who find managing behaviour and emotions more difficult. Leaders have a clear understanding of strengths and next steps, and staff feel empowered and supported during rapid change. Pupils benefit from a comprehensive careers programme, with all of the 2025 Year 11 cohort securing further education or training places, and from wider opportunities that build resilience and aspiration. Pupils with SEND are identified accurately and supported well, and younger pupils who are not yet fluent readers receive effective targeted help. There are two main areas for improvement. Teachers do not always check securely enough that pupils have understood prior content before moving to new concepts, and some older pupils still have reading gaps that were not identified or addressed early enough, limiting their access to the wider curriculum. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The published 2024 examination data does not reflect the recent improvements because those pupils did not benefit from the changes.

Strengths

• Ambitious curriculum that has been overhauled since the previous inspection
• Rapid improvement in the quality of education and raised expectations
• Pupils typically enjoy learning and demonstrate positive attitudes in lessons
• Calm and well-ordered social times with high behaviour expectations
• Effective individualised support for pupils who struggle to manage behaviour and emotions
• Strong pastoral care helping pupils feel happy and safe
• Accurate identification of SEND and well-thought-out curriculum adaptations
• Effective targeted reading support for pupils not yet fluent in reading
• Comprehensive careers programme that nurtures pupils’ aspirations
• Wide opportunities that develop resilience and self-belief
• Staff feel empowered and valued, with workload and well-being considered
• Trust and leaders have a solid understanding of strengths and areas for improvement

Areas for Improvement

• Teachers do not always check securely that pupils’ knowledge is secure before moving on to new concepts
• Some older pupils have reading knowledge gaps that were not identified or addressed early enough

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 Willenhall E-ACT Academy attended 91.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 28.1% 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, 15.4% of pupils at Willenhall E-ACT Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 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 Willenhall E-ACT Academy had 17.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.9% 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, 22.9% of pupils at Willenhall E-ACT Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.9% 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 Willenhall E-ACT Academy received £8,484 and spent £8,026 for each of its 1,062 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,140,000 (£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 Willenhall · Walsall local authority: places and applications

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

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

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

The latest Ofsted rating for Willenhall E-ACT Academy is Good, from an inspection in July 2025.

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

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

How many pupils does Willenhall E-ACT Academy have?

Willenhall E-ACT Academy has 1,106 pupils on roll.

What age range does Willenhall E-ACT Academy cover?

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

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

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 32.7, and 21% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Willenhall E-ACT Academy?

Willenhall E-ACT Academy is at Furzebank Way, Willenhall, West Midlands, WV12 4BD.