When Rash Rahman took the helm as headteacher at Shenley Academy in September, he faced a school grappling with serious challenges: rampant absenteeism, students wandering corridors during lessons, widespread mobile phone misuse, and an alarming 800 suspensions recorded between 2024 and 2025.
Undeterred, Mr. Rahman immediately set out to reform four critical areas impacting both students and staff at the Weoley Castle school. A year later, Shenley Academy is almost unrecognizable: hallways are clear during class time, suspensions have been halved, additional GCSE preparation classes have been introduced, and an innovative on-call system now swiftly addresses classroom disruptions.
Most importantly, students describe a “calmer atmosphere” that fosters focused learning.
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A former barrister who transitioned to teaching eight years ago, Mr. Rahman accepted the headteacher role last May. Upon visiting the school in July, he realized the depth of the issues firsthand.
“Students were constantly congregating in toilets, corridors, and stairwells. They had unrestricted access to toilets during lessons, leading to significant missed teaching time and escalating conflicts,” he explained. “Attendance was severely poor, with some students missing half the school year and nearly 30% recorded as persistently absent. The suspension numbers were staggering — nearly 800 in one academic year.”
In August, Mr. Rahman and his senior leadership team crafted a comprehensive plan aimed at transforming student behaviour, enhancing school culture, improving attendance, and reversing the declining trend of GCSE results.
Recognizing skepticism from students, staff, and parents—especially given the school had seen three headteachers in a single year—he focused on clear communication. “I knew they needed to see real action after so much disappointment,” he said. “Since starting, I’ve held 80 individual parent meetings and presentations to every year group, showing detailed analyses of past GCSE results and the future trajectory if no changes were made. That transparency laid the groundwork for our mandate for change.”
The introduction of an on-call system empowered staff to request immediate assistance with disruptive students, enabling them to be swiftly supported and returned to class without losing valuable learning time. This boosted staff confidence and morale.
A standout success was the 70% reduction in students leaving lessons to visit the toilets, curbing learning disruptions significantly.
The launch of “The Link,” a tailored intervention program, now supports over 100 students weekly, providing bespoke assistance to help them thrive academically and socially.
To further focus students, Years 7, 8, and 9 are now required to hand over their mobile phones at the start of each day. This measure has enabled teachers to regain classroom control and helped pupils concentrate on their studies and social interaction. The phone policy will soon extend to Year 10 after Easter.
The outcomes speak volumes: suspensions have been cut in half, truancy is virtually nonexistent, and attendance has improved by 1.2%, equating to 20 additional students attending regularly and an extra 500 hours of learning annually.
GCSE students are benefiting from expanded after-school and Saturday revision sessions. Mr. Rahman expects to see progress this year with more students achieving a grade 4 or higher in English and Maths, moving the school closer to the 40th percentile nationally. Average Attainment 8 scores are projected to rise from 3.1 to 3.6.
With these reforms underway, Mr. Rahman aims to secure an Ofsted rating of “Outstanding” across all categories within two years, cementing Shenley Academy’s turnaround as a model for school improvement.