Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Annabel Stoddart Headteacher The Rural Enterprise Academy Rodbaston Drive Penkridge Staffordshire ST19 5PH

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Special measures monitoring inspection of The Rural Enterprise Academy

This letter sets out the findings from the monitoring inspection that took place on 15 July 2025, on behalf of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills. The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005 and was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require special measures following the graded (section 5) inspection that took place in July 2024.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of The Rural Enterprise Academy

The purpose of a monitoring inspection is not to grade the school’s key and (where applicable) provision judgements, but to identify and report on the school’s progress. It is to highlight to the school and parents any improvements that school leaders have made since the school’s previous graded inspection.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of The Rural Enterprise Academy

During the inspection, Rob Hackfath, His Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), and I discussed with you and other senior leaders, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the trust, the chair of the trust board and governors the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent graded inspection. We discussed the ongoing impact of the COVID- 19 pandemic. I visited lessons; met with a range of trustees and governors, leaders, teachers and pupils; observed behaviour in lessons and during social time; and reviewed documentation, including that relating to safeguarding. I have considered all this in coming to my judgement.

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Leaders have made progress to improve the school, but more work is

necessary for the school to no longer be judged as requiring special measures.

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The position regarding the appointment of early career teachers will be

considered again during any monitoring inspection we carry out.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

You and your wider team have made a positive start to the journey of improvement for the school. There has been considerable change in the leadership of the school since the last inspection. Your appointment and other leaders at the school, along with the appointment of a new CEO, have brought about a renewed vision for the school. These appointments have enabled clearer alignment of roles to the school’s priorities and accountability for these. You have identified what needs to be done and have supported your wider team to implement procedures to address these priorities. There is now an openness and accuracy in the school that enables appropriate support and challenge to improve the school further. You have identified how the appointment of two further assistant headteachers in September 2025 will support the progress of the school in improving on its previously identified areas of weakness.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The school has rightly prioritised addressing the weaknesses in safeguarding identified at the last inspection. It has made significant improvements and, as a result, safeguarding is now effective. The school has used the support of the trust and external audits well. This has contributed to the development of a robust and rigorous system for analysing and evaluating safeguarding concerns. Staff training has been successful in providing clear guidance on how to record and report issues, resulting in timely and appropriate actions being taken. Pupils in need of help or support from external agencies now receive it without delay. The school has also taken effective steps to safeguard pupils who are educated off site, ensuring that appropriate checks are carried out. Overall, the school has taken decisive and appropriate action to create a safe environment, where pupils feel secure and confident in approaching staff with any concerns.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The school’s focus on improving pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning is beginning to have a positive and demonstrable impact on its culture. Since the last inspection, you and your wider team have introduced a renewed behaviour approach, simplifying the previous system. Staff now implement the behaviour policy with increasing consistency and model positive interactions with pupils. Behaviour incidents are recorded carefully, and you and other leaders make effective use of this data to inform future support and provision for individual pupils, classes and families. Encouragingly, the number of permanent exclusions, suspensions and internal isolations is declining. Relationships between staff and pupils have improved, particularly in relation to expectations around conduct. The school has built capacity within the staff team to ensure pupils are well supervised and that incidents are promptly addressed.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Pupils speak positively about greater consistency from staff and improved conduct in lessons. At social times, clear routines are evident, and most pupils behave well. However, some staff and pupils still experience inconsistency in how the new behaviour policy is applied. You and other school leaders recognise that further work is needed to embed a whole school culture that sustains these improvements. At the time of the last inspection, absence rates at the school were among the highest nationally. Since then, there has been review of the attendance strategy that is now yielding positive results. Overall attendance rates have improved, including for key groups. The most significant improvement has been a considerable reduction in the number of pupils who previously were absent most often. The school has introduced clearer approaches to tracking pupils’ attendance. This enables the barriers that individual

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

pupils face in attending school to be identified. Well-targeted interventions are now beginning to have a positive impact. Communication with parents and carers has been strengthened, and pupils are more aware of expectations. You are also mindful of how strong relationships between pupils and staff and a safe and engaging environment contribute to pupils wanting to come to school.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Since the last inspection, school leaders have made meaningful changes to the structure and quality of the curriculum. Staff are working to develop a curriculum that is designed to meet pupils’ interests. Pupils are beginning to benefit from a clear sequence of learning to develop their knowledge in lessons. A common lesson structure has enhanced the way lessons are delivered to promote greater consistency in teaching across all subjects. Pupils benefit from this clear approach, which helps them to understand the learning process and what is expected of them at each stage. Effective quality assurance systems are in place, enabling you to monitor how well these changes are being implemented in each subject area. As a result, you and other leaders have a stronger understanding of the current impact of the curriculum. You are clear about the next steps needed and intend to focus on refining assessment practices and ensuring consistency throughout the

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Key improvements have been made to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), including more accurate identification of pupils’ primary needs, more frequent reviews of their progress and increased parental involvement. A review of the information shared with staff through pupil passports has been completed and pupils with SEND are now receiving more specific support. Leader’s plans to refine these will benefit pupils with SEND in lessons. Staff use of information about attendance and behaviour of pupils is being used more effectively to inform wider school interventions. In lessons, there is evidence of the impact of recent staff training on adaptive teaching, particularly benefiting individuals and small groups of pupils. However, the positive impact of these approaches for the whole class is at an early stage of being realised.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

You have taken steps to start to improve reading across the school. The refreshed whole school reading approach has introduced core texts that encourage engagement and support the delivery of personal development. Staff have received training to help them to deliver the revised expectations around whole school reading. You are using appropriate information to identify the barriers to learning to read that some pupils face. Pupils who need additional help receive targeted interventions. Their progress is monitored closely so that interventions can be changed as they become more confident readers. You plan to continue embedding intervention programmes and enhancing the reading culture further, for example, by reopening the library as a space for both interventions and independent reading.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The school has rightly focused its efforts on the areas in most urgent need of improvement. Throughout this period of rapid improvement, it has been mindful not to overload staff. The positive developments in the school have been supported and challenged by the oversight of the trust and governors. Trust leaders maintain a clear understanding of the school’s progress and provide targeted support in key areas, such as safeguarding. Communication between the school, trust and governors has improved, enabling more meaningful collaboration. Local governance has been strengthened through the appointment of governors with relevant expertise, enabling them to offer the school informed challenge and support. Parental feedback reflects this shift, with more parents expressing confidence in the school, particularly around safety, behaviour and staff relationships.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of trustees, and the CEO of the Penk Valley Trust, the Department for Education’s regional director and the director of children’s services for Staffordshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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