Dixons City Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Dixons City Academy has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

The principal of this school is Mr Raouf Mohammed. This school is part of Dixons Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school.

The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Mr Luke Sparkes, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Mr Michael Blackburn.

What is it like to attend this school?

Dixons City Academy is realising its aspiration to offer pupils an exceptional education. The staff and pupils love learning.

Pupils bring different life experiences with them, adding to the school's ...rich community.

The school has high expectations for all pupils. The school successfully helps pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to excel in all subjects.

Pupils enjoy the success of building their knowledge over time.

Pupils understand the clear routines and expectations. For example, when pupils arrive in the morning, they quickly settle and get on with their work.

This lets the pupils reflect on what their teachers have taught them. Pupils arrive in the morning ready to learn. The calm, purposeful atmosphere in the school enables pupils to learn without disruption.

Pupils focus during lessons and follow instructions promptly.

The school offers pupils a wide variety of clubs, trips, and leadership opportunities. The vast majority of pupils, including those with SEND, enjoy these.

These experiences develop pupils' confidence. This supports them as they successfully move on to the next stage of education or training after leaving school.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

This school offers pupils including those with SEND rich learning experiences, both in the classroom and beyond.

The school has core values of respect, integrity, and determination. Staff, and pupils including those with SEND live and breathe these values.

One of the key areas in school is reading.

Pupils including those with SEND value reading and enjoy the opportunities to read with staff and with each other. Pupils use the calm, quiet school spaces to escape into books and magazines. Pupils who are at the early stages of reading, quickly gain the knowledge and skills they need through support from staff to become confident, fluent readers.

Teachers have exceptionally strong subject knowledge. Staff model and use subject-specific vocabulary effectively. Pupils, including those with SEND, then remember and use the same vocabulary in discussions and tasks set by the teacher.

Pupils consistently demonstrate how they use subject terms with precision in their responses. For example, in science, they discuss the chemical reactions they may see before conducting an experiment to burn magnesium.

The school focuses on providing each pupil with a wide range of subjects to study.

The school is skilled at identifying pupils who need extra support, both academically and with pastoral care. Staff provide bespoke support for pupils when needs are identified. This takes place at purposeful times within the school day in order to minimise the time pupils spend outside the classroom.

Pupils benefit from an impressive range of wider opportunities that develop their talents and interests. Pupils enjoy the performing arts and staging productions in the local community. Care is taken to ensure pupils with additional needs have every opportunity to access the different experiences on offer.

Pupils take part in a range of sporting opportunities and many access residential visits and the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

The school knows the pupils very well. The school works with a range of external agencies to support pupils and their families with additional support.

Pupils are respectful and polite. They value diverse beliefs in their community. The personal development offer is crafted with care.

It supports pupils in making informed decisions about how to stay healthy and safe, including online.

Behaviour is excellent in school. Pupils understand the high standards that staff expect.

Teachers deal with pupils who do not meet the expectations. Pupils receive extra support if needed. Pupils know the expectations for behaviour do not vary between staff.

The school leaders, backed by the trustees and CEO, relentlessly focus on staff well-being. Leaders and staff have ensured that the school has continued to improve since the last inspection.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged outstanding for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding for overall effectiveness in November 2018.