The Parker E-ACT Academy

The Parker E-ACT Academy has declined since its previous 'good' inspection, with leadership instability contributing to weak standards across key areas. Inspectors found serious weaknesses in the quality of education, behaviour and leadership, while personal development and sixth-form provision require improvement. Pupils, including those with SEND, do not achieve as well as they should; expectations are too low, teaching does not consistently check understanding or adapt for SEND, and too many pupils are absent or truant from lessons. Behaviour is not managed consistently, and some pupils disrupt learning. Strengths are limited but real. The curriculum is broad and ambitious, most staff have secure subject knowledge, and the sixth form is better organised, with an ambitious curriculum and effective careers guidance. Safeguarding is effective, pupils feel safe, and the school offers a growing range of clubs and activities. The school also identifies SEND and reading needs accurately and has begun work to reduce suspensions and improve attendance, though these efforts are at an early stage. The school and trust know improvement is needed but action has been too slow and has not yet had sufficient impact. The report calls for swift action to improve staff support and expertise, tackle absence and internal truancy, ensure staff check understanding and set high expectations, and adapt teaching so pupils with SEND can access the curriculum. The school is part of the E-ACT multi-academy trust and was inspected with an interim headteacher in place.

Strengths

• Broad and ambitious curriculum is in place.
• Most staff have secure subject knowledge.
• Sixth-form curriculum is ambitious, well organised and meets students' needs.
• Sixth-form teachers use strong subject knowledge to deliver the curriculum well.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective and pupils feel safe.
• Pupils know there is an adult they can talk to if needed.
• The school offers an increasing range of clubs and activities, including choir, drama, art and Duke of Edinburgh.
• The school identifies pupils' SEND and reading support needs accurately.
• Systems to support repeatedly suspended pupils are beginning to reduce the high number of suspensions.
• Overall attendance and persistent absence rates are improving gradually.
• Sixth-form students receive effective careers information and guidance.

Areas for Improvement

• Leadership instability has contributed to declining standards and slow improvement.
• The school and trust have not taken effective or timely action to address weaknesses.
• Quality of education is inadequate and pupils do not progress through the curriculum as well as they should.
• Behaviour and attitudes are inadequate; too many pupils truant and disrupt learning.
• Staff do not consistently check pupils' understanding, so gaps and misconceptions go unaddressed.
• Staff expectations of pupils' work are too low and too many pupils complete little work.
• Pupils with SEND do not have their needs met well; teaching is not adapted appropriately in too many subjects.
• Too many pupils, particularly those with SEND, are regularly absent from school.
• Some pupils who need extra reading support do not receive it, limiting curriculum access.
• The behaviour system is not used consistently and some staff feel unsupported in managing behaviour.
• Personal development is not taught well or in enough depth, so pupils are not as well prepared for life in modern Britain.
• Not all sixth-form students have meaningful opportunities to learn about the world of work.
• Leadership and management are inadequate and improvement work is at an early stage.

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 The Parker E-ACT Academy attended 88.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 31.5% 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, 16.5% of pupils at The Parker 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 The Parker E-ACT Academy had 18.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 41.1% 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, 15.5% of pupils at The Parker E-ACT Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has a SEN unit with 10 pupils.

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 The Parker E-ACT Academy received £7,677 and spent £7,574 for each of its 1,218 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,308,000 (£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 Daventry · West Northamptonshire local authority: places and applications

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

• DSLV E-ACT Academy Daventry
• E-ACT The Grange School Daventry
• E-Act Ousedale School Newport Pagnell
• E-ACT Heartlands Academy Birmingham
• 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

What is The Parker E-ACT Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Parker E-ACT Academy is Inadequate, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was The Parker E-ACT Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The Parker E-ACT Academy was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does The Parker E-ACT Academy have?

The Parker E-ACT Academy has 1,132 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Parker E-ACT Academy cover?

The Parker E-ACT Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Parker E-ACT Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 40.1, and 33% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Parker E-ACT Academy?

The Parker E-ACT Academy is at Ashby Road, Daventry, Northamptonshire, NN11 0QE.