The Rural Enterprise Academy

The Rural Enterprise Academy is currently facing significant challenges, as indicated by its inadequate overall effectiveness rating. The decline in educational standards represents a departure from the previously good inspection outcome, highlighting concerns about the quality of the curriculum and the effective support for students, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Safeguarding arrangements fall short, placing students at risk, and the school's approach to improving attendance is insufficient, with many pupils frequently absent from school. While the school offers a curriculum focusing on sustainability and environmental subjects, the execution of this curriculum is flawed, preventing students from achieving their potential. Behaviour, while generally calm in lessons, is not consistently well-managed, leading to repeated issues for some students. The inspection has revealed a lack of strategic oversight from leadership and management, which has further contributed to a decline in standards and leaves the school unprepared to support its most vulnerable students.

Strengths

• Curriculum focused on sustainability, environmental, and land-based subjects
• Pupils have opportunities to participate in clubs and educational trips
• Careers education provides suitable guidance for pupils
• Citizenship and personal development education are taught weekly

Areas for Improvement

• Low academic outcomes and insufficient progress in reading
• Inadequate support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities
• High absence rates and ineffective strategies for improving attendance
• Lack of rigorous monitoring of safeguarding practices and pupils' wellbeing
• Behavioural policies not effective in supporting pupils with repeated behaviour issues
• Poor strategic oversight leading to declining standards

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 Rural Enterprise Academy attended 89.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 27.6% 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, 7.5% of pupils at The Rural Enterprise 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 The Rural Enterprise Academy had 14.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 31.2% 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, 32.7% of pupils at The Rural Enterprise Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 7.4% 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 The Rural Enterprise Academy received £9,264 and spent £9,617 for each of its 242 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £41,000 (£171 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of Penk Valley Academy Trust, income was £7,287 and spending £7,447 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 South Staffordshire · Staffordshire local authority: places and applications

The Rural Enterprise Academy is part of Penk Valley Academy Trust, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

• Princefield First School Stafford
• Wolgarston High School Stafford
• Marshbrook First School Stafford
• Penkridge Middle School Stafford
• St Mary and St Chad CofE First School Stafford
• St John's CofE First School Stafford

What is The Rural Enterprise Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Rural Enterprise Academy is Inadequate, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was The Rural Enterprise Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The Rural Enterprise Academy was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does The Rural Enterprise Academy have?

The Rural Enterprise Academy has 217 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Rural Enterprise Academy cover?

The Rural Enterprise Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are The Rural Enterprise Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 36.3, and 24% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Rural Enterprise Academy?

The Rural Enterprise Academy is at Rodbaston Drive, Penkridge, Staffordshire, ST19 5PH.