Dixons Trinity Academy

Dixons Trinity Academy Trinity Road, Bradford, BD5 0BE

p.1

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  The academy’s core values of hard work, trust and fairness are fundamental in securing students’ outstanding achievement and behaviour.  The vision and ambition of the headteacher, combined with the unrelenting commitment of other leaders and teachers, are crucial elements of the academy’s success.  Students share the high aspirations of leaders and staff about their progression into higher education, securing a ‘top job’ and enjoying their lives.  Students make rapid progress from their starting points and after only one year in the academy their attainment is high.  Achievement is outstanding because teaching is of a consistently high quality and additional support is well targeted.  Parents are highly positive about the academy’s work.  Students are hard working, mature and courteous. Their behaviour in lessons and around the academy is exemplary.  Teachers’ expectations of students’ progress

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

and behaviour are high. Teachers’ dedication and professionalism ensure these expectations are fulfilled.  Leaders and governors take effective action to ensure students are safe.  The range of subjects and learning activities that students experience make an excellent contribution to their achievement and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The academy’s leaders have an unremitting focus on securing further improvement in achievement, teaching and students’ personal development.  Middle leaders are making a strong contribution to sustaining high performance and driving further improvement.  Governors are knowledgeable about the academy’s performance and are playing an effective role in shaping future strategic developments.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 19 part-lessons, five jointly with members of the senior leadership team. Inspectors also made visits to a range of other learning activities including the morning ‘starter’, students’ presentations of their ‘stretch’ projects, DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) sessions and Thursday afternoon competitive sport.  Meetings were held with students in Year 7 and Year 8, senior and middle leaders, members of the local governing body and a representative of the multi-academy trust.  Inspectors also spoke to students informally at social times including during ‘family dining’ at lunchtime.  Inspectors heard a group of Year 7 students read and scrutinised work for a number of groups and subjects.  Inspectors took account of the 80 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, the 29 responses to the staff questionnaire and the view of one parent who spoke to the lead inspector.

p.2

Inspection team

Katrina Gueli, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Fiona Dixon Additional Inspector Neil MacKenzie Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 The academy currently has students in Year 7 and 8 so it is smaller than the average-sized secondary school. In 2018, with students in Years 7 to 13, the number on roll is predicted to rise to 720 but the academy will still be smaller than the average-sized secondary school.  The large majority of students are from minority ethnic backgrounds. Very few students are at an early stage of learning to speak English.  The proportion of students eligible for support through the pupil premium (additional government funding for students known to be eligible for free school meals, children who are looked after by the local authority and children of service families) is high.  The proportion of students supported through school action is above average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The academy opened as a free school in September 2012. There are currently 19 teaching staff,

p.3

Information about this school

10 of whom joined the academy in the autumn term of 2013.  No students attend off-site provision.  The academy is part of the Dixons Multi-Academy Trust.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching by:  ensuring all marking and feedback matches current best practice  maintaining high-quality recruitment and professional development for staff as the academy continues to expand.

p.3

The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Students make rapid progress from their broadly average starting points. By the end of Year 7 in 2013, their attainment was high compared to standards typical for students of that age. Students who entered Year 7 in 2013 and those in Year 8 are making progress at a similarly rapid rate.  No students entered the academy in Year 7 having gained a Level 6 at the end of Key Stage 2. However, after one year, over 80% of the most able students had achieved this level in English and mathematics demonstrating that the most able students made rapid progress in their learning.  Students who enter the academy with attainment below that expected for their age are being helped to make accelerated progress because the Year 7 catch-up funding is being used very effectively to provide additional staffing and resources.  There is no difference in the progress of students from different minority ethnic groups, boys or

p.4

The achievement of pupils is outstanding

girls, or those with low, average or above average levels of prior attainment.  As a result of a wide range of successful strategies, including additional specialist teaching and individual mentoring, students known to be eligible for free school meals make progress equal to that of other students in the academy in mathematics and better progress in English. At the start of Year 7 in 2012, the attainment of students known to be eligible for free school meals was two terms behind that of their peers in both English and mathematics. After only one year, this gap has been eradicated in English and is reducing in mathematics.  Disabled students and those with special educational needs progress well because whole-class teaching meets their needs well and additional teaching in small groups, complemented by individual learning packages, has a very positive impact.  Students’ reading skills and their enjoyment of reading are promoted extremely well. Daily DEAR

p.4

The achievement of pupils is outstanding

sessions (Drop Everything and Read) incorporate a range of individual and class reading activities that enable students to develop confidence in reading and broaden their knowledge of different writing genres. Students could talk knowledgeably about what they were currently reading and the type of books that they enjoyed.  The development of students’ literacy and numeracy skills has a very high profile across all subjects. For example, students are consistently expected to speak in full sentences, using good spoken English and give the person who is speaking their full attention. Public speaking, such as students’ ‘stretch’ project presentations, are just one of many other opportunities students have to develop their confidence and skills in this area. Additional numeracy activities, such as the Rock Star Times Tables challenge, help students to quickly improve their mental mathematics skills.

p.4

The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers are passionate about teaching and highly committed to ensuring students that achieve their full potential. There is outstanding teaching across many subjects. The impact of teaching over time is at least good in all subjects and outstanding in many.  Teachers’ strong subject knowledge and their detailed understanding of what different students already know and can do is used very effectively to challenge all students and enable them to make at least good and often outstanding learning gains in a lesson.  Well-chosen resources, including the use of new technologies and a diverse variety of teaching strategies, promote high levels of student engagement and good or better progress.  During lessons, teachers check very carefully how well students are making progress and use this information astutely to re-shape activities or adjust their teaching appropriately.  Teachers’ use of questioning is a strength of their practice. The academy’s policy of ‘no hands

p.4

The quality of teaching is outstanding

up’ when a question is posed ensures all students know they must be ready to offer an answer. Teachers successfully develop students’ thinking and understanding by encouraging them to extend their own answers or build on the answers of other students.  Learning time is never wasted. Teachers expect students to start work promptly and they do. Poor-quality student work or anything less than 100% effort is not accepted during lessons. This makes a significant contribution to students’ outstanding achievement.  Teachers’ marking of students’ work includes detail of what they have done well and clearly identifies next steps. Much, but not all, marking and written feedback is of a very high quality. Time is given for students to take action in response to teachers’ feedback and this improves the quality of their work and moves their learning on.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The behaviour of students is outstanding. All staff and students fully understand and uphold the academy’s values and, as a result, behaviour in lessons, around the academy and towards their peers and other adults is exemplary. School data and the views of students, staff and parents confirm that the behaviour inspectors observed is typical of behaviour over time.  The academy is calm and orderly, in part, because there are such high levels of mutual respect between students and staff and all routines are very well embedded.  Whole-school activities, such as daily ‘family dining’ and weekly competitive sport, promote a strong feeling of community and team-work within the academy.  Students are diligent in all that they do. They collaborate exceedingly well when asked to work together and all are keen to make contributions. When students are working on their own they sustain concentration and complete work at a brisk pace. They listen attentively to adults and

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

each other. Low-level disruption is extremely rare.  Students are smart and very well organised. They adapt quickly to the academy’s very high expectations for handing in homework on time, bringing all the necessary equipment and taking pride in their work, surroundings and appearance. Students fully understand that these are some of the personal qualities that are essential for success in further or higher education and employment.  A very small minority of students need help to improve their behaviour when they join the academy. The high-quality support they receive enables them to settle quickly into routines and achieve well.  The academy’s work to keep students safe and secure is outstanding.  Students feel safe and very well-cared for in the academy. Those who spoke to inspectors said bullying does not happen and would not be tolerated. They could not recall hearing inappropriate language or prejudice-based name calling in the academy. Nevertheless, they have

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

a clear understanding of different forms of bullying, including cyber-bullying. All parents who responded to the Ofsted questionnaire, Parent View, said that their child felt safe at the academy and was looked after well.  Systems for entry and exit are secure and there is a high staff presence outside when students are arriving or leaving the academy. The potential risks of school and off-site activities are carefully assessed and minimised.  Links with outside agencies are used well to ensure students know how to keep themselves safe, for example, on social network sites or when out and about. Students understand what action to take if they see or experience something that causes them a concern.  Attendance is high and virtually all students arrive punctually every day.

p.5

The leadership and management are outstanding

 Exceptional leadership, from the headteacher and other senior leaders, has driven forward the academy’s mission to celebrate diversity and relentlessly focus on the highest standards of student achievement at an impressive pace. In this academy, only excellence will do.  Leaders have fostered high levels of commitment in both staff and students to ‘live’ by the values of hard work, trust and fairness. They have created an ethos in which students are thriving, both academically and personally.  The academy’s use of the Year 7 catch-up and pupil premium funding helps ensure that these target groups achieve as well as other groups of students. The academy’s promotion of equality is extremely effective.  There is a relentless focus on securing further improvement. Both senior and middle leaders rigorously monitor all aspects of the academy’s work and identify where teachers’ performance or students’ outcomes could be further improved. Running alongside this, leaders have a

p.5

The leadership and management are outstanding

thoughtful and strategic approach to sustaining the academy’s high quality and distinctive provision as additional cohorts enter each year. The academy’s capacity to maintain the highest level of achievement for students is evident.  Students’ progress towards ambitious targets is tracked very closely and leaders have worked extensively with staff in other schools to ensure assessments of students’ attainment are accurate. Class teachers are fully accountable for securing rapid student progress. Action to accelerate progress where an individual student may be at risk of not meeting their target is swift and effective.  Senior leaders’ expectations of staff are high and the management of staff performance is rigorous. Extensive and effective induction for new staff helps to sustain high levels of consistency in the academy’s routines and protocols. On-going professional development is very carefully tailored to meet teachers’ personal development needs.The academy makes judicious

p.6

The leadership and management are outstanding

use of expertise from within Dixons Trinity, across the Dixons group and beyond to enhance staff skills. Staff respond very positively to feedback, training and support. As a result, the overall quality of teaching is continuing to improve. Leaders appreciate the need to maintain high-quality recruitment and professional development as staff numbers increase in future years.  The outstanding curriculum ensures students achieve highly and rapidly develop the personal skills and qualities needed for success in the next stage of their education and in the world of work. Additional studies sessions enable students to master new skills or follow existing interests with subjects such as drama, debate, film or music. The academy promotes the development of students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural values extremely well through its values, routines, the taught curriculum and the many enrichment opportunities that they are able to access.

p.6

The leadership and management are outstanding

 Students in Year 8 have already had the benefit of individual, independent advice and guidance to help them make informed choices about subjects and qualifications that will lead to their future success.  The academy makes very good use of partnerships to support students’ academic progress, personal development and their health and well-being. For example, links with the University of Leeds are used as part of a series of transition activities to raise students’ aspirations and help them make a good start in Year 7.  The academy works closely with parents from the outset to ensure they understand and fully support the academy’s values and high expectations. Information about how well their child is doing is detailed and regular. Documents available to parents via the academy’s website are extensive and informative. The academy actively seeks their views.  The Dixons Multi-Academy Trust has been instrumental in establishing and supporting

p.6

The leadership and management are outstanding

development at Dixons Trinity. For example, the academy’s senior leaders have been appointed from within the Dixons group and teachers from other academies in the group have been used to deliver some subjects while student numbers are small.  The governance of the school:  Governors have a very clear understanding of the academy’s vision and share the ambition of its leaders. They are well informed about all aspects of the academy’s work and are robust in holding both senior and middle leaders to account. Governors are aware of how well different groups of students are achieving, the use and impact of the pupil premium funding and the quality of teaching across the academy. Nevertheless, they continue to access training to further enhance their skills, such as in interpreting students’ performance data. They understand their role in ensuring systems for managing performance, including that of the

p.6

The leadership and management are outstanding

headteacher, are used to sustain high-quality teaching and student outcomes. Governors ensure that all aspects of safeguarding meet statutory requirements.

p.7

Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

p.8

Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

p.8

School details

Unique reference number 138251 Local authority Bradford Inspection number 425695

p.9

School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.9

School details

Type of school Other secondary School category Academy free school Age range of pupils 11–18 Gender of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 224 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 0 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Bryan Collins Headteacher Luke Sparkes Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01274 424350 Email address info@dixonsta.com guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.9

School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

p.10

School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.10

School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

p.10

School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

p.10

School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.10