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.
The trust told CambsNews: “We know that there is more work to be done and we have continued to make meaningful progress and improvements since our inspection in January.” Full statement at foot of article.
Steve Barclay, the MP for NE Cambs, said tonight that the next steps will be for the Regional School Commissioner to decide whether another Trust should take over running Neale-Wade Academy, following further representation from the Active Learning Trust by 5th June.
“However, it is not clear to me what new information is now available that could not have been made available earlier,” he said. His full statement later in article.
DfE 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.
A spokesperson for Active Learning Trust said:
“We are committed to providing an excellent education and learning experience across all our schools and Neale-Wade’s recent Ofsted report clearly pointed to the improvements and progress that have already been made.
“We know that there is more work to be done and we have continued to make meaningful progress and improvements since our inspection in January.
“We are confident that Neale-Wade is on the right path, with a robust and thoughtful plan in place to help support further improvements.
“We are also grateful to be taking part in the Department for Education’s RISE programme to help accelerate these improvements. This is a two-year programme, and at the end of year one, we are already seeing the difference this has made in targeted curriculum areas. We will continue to work together to support these improvements to continue at pace.
“We are writing to parents and our local partners to ensure they are updated on our plans for further school improvement.”
Steve Barclay, MP for NE Cambs, said tonight: “There will understandably be significant concerns from parents, pupils and staff regarding the termination warning notice published today by the Department for Education to the Active Learning Trust who run Neale-Wade Academy.
“The Active Learning Trust has issued a parent letter regarding this notice. It also flags that additional support is being provided by the Department for Education’s RISE (Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence) programme, and that Ofsted identified a number of areas of recent progress.”
He added: “This is, however, the third Ofsted report for the Active Learning Trust at Neale-Wade Academy with a finding “requiring improvement”. Specific issues, such as the percentage of pupils who achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths GCSE compared to the national average remain a concern (as shown below). I flagged a number of these concerns last year, and again earlier this year.
“Having spoken to the Department for Education this evening, they say they delayed issuing this notice after the Ofsted notification dated 13th March because of the local elections across the country – even though we did not have any local elections in Fenland. “
Mr Barclay said the next steps will be for the Regional School Commissioner to decide whether another Trust should take over running Neale-Wade Academy, following further representation from the Active Learning Trust by 5th June.
“However, it is not clear to me what new information is now available that could not have been made available earlier,” he said.
