The Rural Enterprise Academy, Penkridge
The Rural Enterprise Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Penkridge, part of Penk Valley Academy Trust. It was rated Inadequate at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2024. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2026 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 51st-highest of the 56 schools in Staffordshire with published results, and 3,031st of 3,298 across England. It was 79% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Inadequate (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 4 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Staffordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
The Rural Enterprise Academy in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at The Rural Enterprise Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 36.3, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 43.7 in Staffordshire and 47 across England.
24% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 39% in Staffordshire and 47% in England.
That is down from 37.6 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.21: pupils made below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 27.2, against 39.8 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 12.6 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 11 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and Business Studies.
Getting a place at The Rural Enterprise Academy
For September 2026 entry, 24 families put The Rural Enterprise Academy as their first choice and 44 named it as one of their preferences, for 24 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at The Rural Enterprise Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to The Rural Enterprise Academy are Wolgarston High School (1.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 48.2); Penkridge Middle School (1.9 miles, Good); Brewood Middle CofE Academy (3.1 miles, Good); and Cardinal Griffin Catholic College (3.4 miles, Attainment 8 38.3).
Each of them had higher 2026 results than The Rural Enterprise Academy.
Wolgarston High SchoolPenkridge Middle SchoolBrewood Middle CofE AcademyCardinal Griffin Catholic College
The trust
The Rural Enterprise Academy is one of 7 schools run by Penk Valley Academy Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
42 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Rural Enterprise Academy (as of September 2025): 76% would recommend the school, 83% say their child is happy there and 88% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (88%); the weakest, that the school supports their child's wider development (64%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 35 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 74% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 60% to a further education college, 6% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.
Who goes there
1.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (92%) and Mixed (6%).
In 2026, 71 pupils (32.7%) received SEN support and 16 (7.4%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Penkridge Rail Station, about 1.5 miles away in a straight line.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 21 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Staffordshire (86).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Rural Enterprise Academy issued 38 suspensions, 15.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to The Rural Enterprise Academy are Princefield First School (1.4 miles), St Michael's CofE (A) First School (1.6 miles) and Marshbrook First School (1.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Princefield First SchoolSt Michael's CofE (A) First SchoolMarshbrook First School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 6 months agoOverall
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's April 2026 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The school has made significant improvements to safeguarding and behaviour management, with pupils now reporting they feel safe and positive relationships developing between staff and students. Leaders have a clear understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses and are taking decisive action on key priorities. The school is developing a curriculum designed to meet pupils' individual needs with a positive reading culture being established.
Key Strengths
- Safeguarding arrangements are now effective with robust systems, well-trained staff, and clear accountability
- Leadership has successfully reformed behaviour systems using a restorative approach, resulting in marked reductions in suspensions and isolations
- Attendance monitoring has been strengthened with early intervention and targeted support, particularly for disadvantaged pupils
Areas for Improvement
- Teaching quality remains inconsistent across the school, with some lessons lacking depth in checking understanding and addressing misconceptions
- Overall attendance remains below national levels despite improvements, with specific groups of pupils still not engaged
- Curriculum delivery is not yet fully consistent, and adaptive teaching approaches are only in early stages of implementation
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is now effective - leaders have established a robust safeguarding culture with secure systems for identifying and acting on concerns, well-trained staff confident in reporting issues, and appropriate checks for pupils educated off-site.
The Rural Enterprise Academy is a school of 240 pupils that was placed in special measures and is now in its second monitoring inspection. While leaders are taking effective action to improve the school, continued work is needed to remove the special measures designation.
About
The Rural Enterprise Academy is a coeducational high school and sixth form located in Penkridge, Staffordshire, UK. It was the first dedicated land-based free school in England, and its aim is to develop rural entrepreneurs and business leaders.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
28.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
42 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has improved from -0.42 to -0.21 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 34.1 to 36.3 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has improved from 19% to 24% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 36.3 | 24% |
| Disadvantaged(14) | - | 27.2 | 14.3% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(36) | - | 39.8 | 27.8% |
| Boys(23) | - | 33.7 | 21.7% |
| Girls(27) | - | 38.5 | 25.9% |
Show more breakdowns (1)
| Non mobile(48) | - | 37.4 | 25% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 35 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
1
Permanent exclusions
0.42%
Exclusion rate
38
Suspensions
15.83%
Suspension rate
18 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 240 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with The Rural Enterprise Academy
Term dates
The Rural Enterprise Academy is a free school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Staffordshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Rural Enterprise Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Rural Enterprise Academy is in Staffordshire; for families living there:
Apply to Staffordshire for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025.
The typical figure for schools in Staffordshire is 5 (the median across 457 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at The Rural Enterprise Academy
Will you get a place at The Rural Enterprise Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Rural Enterprise Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Rural Enterprise Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Rural Enterprise Academy.
- Staffordshire publishes last distance offered figures, but none for The Rural Enterprise Academy that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The Rural Enterprise Academy for 2021 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Staffordshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
79%
Available places
236 pupils
300 places
64 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Penkridge
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Penkridge
Across Staffordshire council
Places available
8,807
Applications
7,681
Got 1st preference
91.9%
Got preferred school
98.5%
All secondary applications across Staffordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(5)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
71
SEN Support
16
EHC Plans
40.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
217
Total Pupils
118
Boys
99
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
17
Teachers
12.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,375
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,989
Per pupil
£2041k
Total funding
£58k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
10.1%
Overall absence
27.6%
Persistent absence
268
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
The Rural Enterprise Academy
Questions parents ask about The Rural Enterprise Academy
What are GCSE results like at The Rural Enterprise Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at The Rural Enterprise Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 36.3. 24% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is The Rural Enterprise Academy's Ofsted rating?
The Rural Enterprise Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2026, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in July 2024, it was rated Inadequate.
What is the catchment area for The Rural Enterprise Academy?
No fixed boundary. When The Rural Enterprise Academy is oversubscribed, Staffordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at The Rural Enterprise Academy?
The Rural Enterprise Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 79% of its 300 places.
How big are the classes at The Rural Enterprise Academy?
Classes at The Rural Enterprise Academy average 21.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to The Rural Enterprise Academy?
The Rural Enterprise Academy has around 217 pupils on roll. 29% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Rural Enterprise Academy?
10.1% of sessions were missed at The Rural Enterprise Academy in 2024/25. 27.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Rural Enterprise Academy?
Apply through Staffordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming The Rural Enterprise Academy on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near The Rural Enterprise Academy?
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025. The typical figure for schools in Staffordshire is 5 (the median across 457 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Rural Enterprise Academy?
The Rural Enterprise Academy is at Rodbaston Drive, Penkridge, Staffordshire, ST19 5PH.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)