The government has issued a dramatic warning to The Active Learning Trust, threatening to terminate the funding agreement for Neale-Wade Academy, March, Cambridgeshire, following serious concerns raised by Ofsted.
In a strongly worded letter dated 11 May 2026, Regional Director Jonathan Duff warned trust leaders that the Department for Education may remove the school from the trust unless rapid and sustainable improvements are delivered.
The warning follows an Ofsted judgment that the academy “requires significant improvement” — a decision confirmed in March before inspectors published a critical report in April.
Officials highlighted a string of concerns at the Cambridgeshire secondary school, including poor pupil achievement, weaknesses in teaching standards, gaps in reading and writing support, and failures to properly help vulnerable students.
The letter also raised concerns about how staff use assessments, claiming pupils’ misconceptions and learning gaps were not being addressed effectively.
Perhaps most damagingly, the DfE pointed to a history of underperformance, noting the academy had already been rated “requires improvement” in both 2021 and 2023.
Jonathan Duff wrote that he must be satisfied the trust has the “capacity to deliver rapid and sustainable improvement” — warning that if this cannot be achieved, ministers will consider transferring the school to another academy trust.
Trust leaders have been given until 5 June 2026 to respond with formal representations.
The move piles pressure on school leadership and the wider trust, which now faces intense scrutiny over standards and governance.
Copies of the warning letter have also been sent to Ofsted and Cambridgeshire County Council, with the DfE confirming the letter will be published on GOV.UK.
More to follow
