E-ACT Shenley Academy in Weoley Castle has been named among Birmingham's worst-performing secondary schools in a new league table, despite a recent Ofsted inspection that found pupils are 'happy' and 'safe'. The Telegraph ranked around 3,500 schools across England, using factors such as exam performance and attendance. Shenley Academy received a score of just 13 out of 40, placing it 'well below average', according to the newspaper.
The school sits just above the three worst-ranked schools in the city: Bournville School, Star King Solomon Academy and Waverley Studio College, each of which scored 12 out of 40. These schools were also labelled 'well below average' by the Telegraph. The low score reflects ongoing concerns about pupil achievement and attendance, which have dragged Shenley down in the rankings.
Ofsted Inspection Highlights Strengths and Weaknesses
At its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2025, Shenley Academy was rated 'requires improvement' for quality of education and for leadership and management. However, it was rated 'good' for behaviours and attitudes and for personal development. Inspectors noted that while there were areas for improvement, such as pupil achievement, there were also positive aspects to acknowledge.
Ofsted said last year: "Pupils feel happy and safe at Shenley Academy. The school's high-quality pastoral support means that pupils have many members of staff who they trust. They are confident to share any concerns about bullying or worries about their mental health. Adults in school help and support pupils to resolve any issues." The report also praised the school's raised expectations for conduct, with pupils learning the values of 'Respect, Resilience and Responsibility'.
Attendance and Achievement Challenges
Despite these positives, the inspection found that expectations for pupils' engagement and quality of work are not consistently high enough. "On occasion, expectations for pupils' engagement and quality of work are not high enough. This means some pupils do not produce work to the standard they are capable of or achieve as highly as they should in their qualifications," inspectors said. They added that the curriculum is not consistently effective across all subjects, and that checks on pupil knowledge do not always identify gaps effectively.
Improving attendance remains a priority for the school and its trust. The school identifies barriers to attendance and supports pupils and families to overcome them, which is helping to reduce absence. Historically, Shenley has been a troubled school with high absence rates and 800 suspensions recorded between 2024 and 2025. It currently has 775 pupils on roll.
New Head Teacher Drives Change
Rash Rahman recently took over as headteacher at Shenley Academy, prompting immediate improvements. He told BirminghamLive earlier this year: "Since I started, I've conducted 80 individual meetings with parents on top of 'meet the headteacher' meetings. I met with every year group. I did a Powerpoint presentation about the past three years of GCSE results and they could see where that was heading. I put a question mark next to 2025 and 2026 and explained that if we did not change, the results would go down even further - and that was my mandate for change."
The Telegraph's league table, which ranks schools based on exam performance and attendance, places Shenley Academy among the lowest in Birmingham. With the new leadership's focus on improvement, the school aims to address these challenges and raise its standing in future rankings.
