Dixons Trinity Academy

Inspection of Dixons Trinity Academy Trinity Road, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD5 0BE

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 January 2025

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The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding for overall effectiveness at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since January 2014. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade.

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The principal of this school is Emma Steele. 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, Luke Sparkes, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Mike Blackburn OBE. 21 and 22 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending a school that is established on a strong set of values and principles. The school sets exceptionally high standards. Pupils are proud to rise to them. During family dining, pupils serve one another and clean their areas. They welcome visitors and offer to serve them too. Pupils’ manners and behaviour are impressive. Their care for one another shines through. Pupils share thoughtful remarks about peers and teachers. For example, they commend others publicly once lunch service is complete.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ published outcomes in national examinations have been extremely high over a sustained period. Pupils become experts in the subjects they learn. They enjoy consistently high-quality teaching from subject specialists. Pupils also engage in regular university-style lectures. These teach them an important way of learning. Lectures also help to expand pupils’ knowledge, allowing them to flourish independently across the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school surrounds pupils’ highly focused academic experience with wider opportunities and support. Pupils value the ‘Mountain Rescue’ team, whose members provide specialist wraparound care. Pupils also enjoy ‘climb’ sessions. Here, a varied learning programme, including team building activities, enhance their education. An exciting enrichment offer includes music lessons for all, sport and much more. This enables pupils to discover their unique talents and interests.

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

The school leaves nothing to chance. There is meticulous thought behind every aspect of school life. This ensures the ambitious intentions of the curriculum become a reality. Staff are exceptionally well trained in bringing the curriculum to life. Pupils’ experience across the school is highly consistent. High-quality teaching shows pupils what they must do for success. Over time, this allows pupils to excel independently. Pupils build an identified bank of important knowledge in all subjects. This helps them respond to tasks in a rich and developed way. For example, in English, pupils grasp concepts of demonology, regicide and fatal flaws. This relates to their study of Macbeth. Pupils expertly integrate this knowledge into their exploration of Shakespeare’s intentions.

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

Vulnerable pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve highly across the curriculum. The school deliberately shapes the whole curriculum to meet the needs of these pupils. Teachers skilfully put adaptations in place where needed. The school never lowers its expectations. Pupils grow in confidence and ability over time. They enjoy their learning. Staff expertly link subjects to pupils’ local context. For instance, in art, pupils learn to appreciate the man-made beauty in Bradford.

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

The school inspires pupils to read. Everyone enjoys and discusses daily reading activities. If pupils struggle with reading, the school acts swiftly. Personalised interventions have a rapid impact. Pupils quickly become fluent readers. This helps them achieve success across the wider curriculum. 21 and 22 January 2025

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Pupils’ attitudes are exceptional. A dedicated team of staff ensure attendance rates are as high as possible. The school cultivates pupils’ motivation and commitment well. One way it does this is through the relationships, equity and health programme. The school tenaciously ensures pupils do not develop gaps in their knowledge. They revisit topics regularly. Pupils ask questions after listening to visiting speakers. These questions shape pupils’ next sessions. A combination of lectures, seminars and follow-up activities also help pupils secure important knowledge. As a result, pupils’ understanding of the world around them is deep and meaningful.

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Careers education is carefully embedded across the curriculum. Pupils are ambitious about what careers they may follow in the future. Public speaking events help pupils to develop important skills for future work. Pupils present to different audiences in a variety of situations. This includes telling the story of their school year to their ‘dream team’ of staff and family members.

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Leaders across the school and trust unite in their mission. Along with trustees, they commit to removing wider barriers to academic success. The impact for pupils is evident. Staff are proud to work at the school. They enjoy spearheading trust-wide initiatives to improve workload and well-being. A small minority of parents have mixed views about the school’s approach. However, many more value the school’s high expectations and rounded education.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked-after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 21 and 22 January 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 29 and 30 January 2014, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Dixons Academies Trust.  The school currently uses one registered alternative provision.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth-form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 21 and 22 January 2025

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the principal, trust leaders and other senior leaders over the course of the inspection. The lead inspector also met with the chief executive officer for the trust.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, geography and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  An inspector met with the leader responsible for SEND and reviewed pupils’ support plans.  The lead inspector met with trustees. She also reviewed documentation related to

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governance, including minutes of meetings.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors met with groups of pupils and staff formally throughout the inspection and spoke with them informally at social times and in lessons.  Inspectors reviewed a range of school documents, including the school’s self-evaluation and the school improvement plan.  Inspectors considered the responses to the online survey for parents and carers, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and for pupils.

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Inspection team

Hannah Millett, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Melanie Kane Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 January 2025

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