The Parker E-ACT Academy

Inspection of The Parker E-ACT Academy Ashby Road, Daventry, Northamptonshire NN11 0QE

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 January 2025

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The quality of education Inadequate Behaviour and attitudes Inadequate Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Inadequate Sixth-form provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good

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This school is part of E-ACT multi-academy trust. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Tom Campbell, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Lord Jim Knight. The trust employed Mr Gary Carlile as their director of education in January 2025, three weeks prior to this inspection. The trust identified Mr Carlile to parents as the interim headteacher by letter, and at the time of the inspection Mr Carlile was identified as the interim headteacher. 28 and 29 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Since the previous inspection, the school has experienced instability in leadership. This has contributed to a decline in standards in several aspects of the school’s work. The school has not been successful in working with staff and parents to bring about the necessary improvements. This has had a negative impact on pupils’ experiences and the quality of education that pupils receive. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not have their needs met well. Staff do not have high-enough expectations of what pupils can achieve. Expectations are higher in the sixth form and students are beginning to benefit from a well-organised curriculum. However, pupils and students do not achieve as well as they should.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Too many pupils truant from lessons. At times, they disrupt the learning of others. In lessons and around school some pupils do not behave well. This has a negative impact on the learning of others. Pupils are safe in school and know they have an adult they can talk to if needed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides an increasing range of opportunities for pupils to develop their interests. Some pupils enjoy attending the choir, drama and art clubs. Others take part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has ensured that there is a broad and ambitious curriculum. It has set out the key knowledge and skills pupils should learn and when. However, too often, staff do not implement the curriculum well. This means that pupils do not progress through the curriculum as well as they should. Students in the sixth form experience an ambitious curriculum that meets their needs. Teachers in the sixth form use their strong subject knowledge effectively to deliver the curriculum well.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Most staff have secure subject knowledge. Some staff use effective strategies to check pupils’ understanding. However, this is not done consistently well. This means that staff are not aware of pupils’ gaps in learning or misconceptions. As a result, these are not addressed, and pupils do not learn as well as they should.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

In too many subjects, staff do not have high-enough expectations of the work pupils produce. Too many pupils do not complete work or only give limited responses. This means pupils do not develop detailed knowledge about what they have learned. The school accurately identifies those pupils who need extra support to improve their reading skills. However, some of these pupils do not get the support they need. This means some pupils cannot access the curriculum as they do not have the necessary reading skills.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND accurately. Some pupils with SEND receive additional support from staff. However, in too many subjects, staff do not make appropriate adaptations for these pupils to access the curriculum. As a result, pupils with SEND do not learn as well as they should. The school is aware that there is more work to 28 and 29 January 2025

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do to ensure that these pupils have their needs met. The school has started to address these inconsistencies, but this work is at an early stage.

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The school has set out a clear system for managing pupils’ behaviour. However, staff do not use this consistently well. Too many pupils do not have positive attitudes to learning and ignore requests from staff to behave well. Some staff feel that they are not well supported by the school in managing behaviour. The school has systems in place to support pupils who are repeatedly suspended to improve their behaviour. This work is beginning to reduce the high number of suspensions.

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Too many pupils are regularly absent from school, particularly pupils with SEND. The school is aware of this and has developed strategies to support these pupils. As a result, overall rates of attendance are improving gradually and the attendance of those who are persistently absent is improving more sharply. However, this work has not led to sufficient improvements in the attendance of pupils with SEND.

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The school has planned a curriculum for pupils’ personal development. For example, pupils learn about equality, bullying, relationships, healthy eating and mental health. However, some staff do not teach these topics well or cover them in enough depth. As a result, pupils and students in the sixth form are not as well prepared for life in modern Britain as they could be. Students in the sixth form get effective careers information and guidance that supports them well for their next steps. However, not all students have meaningful opportunities to learn about the world of work.

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School and trust leaders are aware that the school needs to improve. They have started to ensure that staff have the necessary skills to bring about improvements. However, this work is at an early stage and has yet to have a positive enough impact.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school, including the trust, has not taken effective action, or acted quickly enough to address the school’s weaknesses. As a result, several aspects of the school’s work have declined. The school should ensure swift action is taken to address the priority issues that have been identified. This includes ensuring that staff have the right knowledge, expertise and ongoing support to bring about the required improvements.  Pupils’ absence is too high. Too many pupils, particularly those with SEND, are regularly absent from school, which means they miss out on learning. Additionally, some pupils truant from lessons and miss out on learning. The school should ensure that it has effective systems in place to deal with internal truancy and high absence rates. 28 and 29 January 2025

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 Staff do not consistently check pupils’ understanding well. As a result, they are unaware of and do not address gaps in learning or misconceptions. This means pupils do not learn as well as they should. The school should ensure that staff check pupils’ understanding so that misconceptions and gaps in learning can be addressed.  Staff do not have high-enough expectations of the work pupils produce. Too many pupils do not complete work or only give limited responses. As a result, pupils do not deepen their understanding sufficiently well. The school should ensure that staff have high expectations of what pupils can do and learn.  In too many subjects, staff do not make appropriate adaptations for pupils with SEND to access the curriculum. This means that these pupils do not learn as well as they should. The school should ensure that staff adapt their teaching so pupils with SEND can access the curriculum and achieve well.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, 'disadvantaged pupils' is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 28 and 29 January 2025

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,214

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form

Headteacher Gary Carlile (Interim Headteacher)

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form

Dates of previous inspection 3 and 4 November 2021, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of E-ACT multi-academy trust.  The school runs a specially resourced provision for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs. Twenty-six pupils attend this provision. Most of these pupils have an education, health and care plan.  The school uses one registered alternative provider and two unregistered alternative providers.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. 28 and 29 January 2025

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

In accordance with section 44(2) of the Education Act 2005, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors spoke with the interim headteacher and other senior leaders. The lead inspector also met with the CEO of the trust and other trust leaders.  The lead inspector met with the chair of trustees.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: mathematics, physical education, modern foreign languages, English, history and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to

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Information about this inspection

teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum and visited lessons in some other subjects.  Inspectors visited registration sessions.  Inspectors met with groups of pupils from a range of year groups, including pupils with SEND. Inspectors spoke with pupils at breaktime and lunchtime.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil questionnaires.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktimes and lunchtimes. 28 and 29 January 2025

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Inspection team

Paul Halcro, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sally Wicken Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 January 2025

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achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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