George Dixon Academy

George Dixon Academy is a secondary comprehensive school and a single-academy trust. Inspectors found that the school has moved forward since its previous inspection, with a clearer vision, a redesigned curriculum and stronger support for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. Behaviour and attitudes, personal development and sixth-form provision are good, and safeguarding is effective. Pupils benefit from a strong equality and diversity ethos, a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities and highly effective careers provision. However, the quality of education and leadership and management require improvement. The school has raised expectations and improved curriculum planning, but it is too early to see the full impact on achievement, and some pupils do not achieve as well as they should by the end of key stage 4. Assessment is not used consistently well, some older pupils have gaps in reading, and leaders do not yet have sufficient oversight of the impact of some of their work. Most pupils behave well and relationships are strong, but a small number of pupils sometimes behave poorly, including occasionally using derogatory language. Sixth-form students achieve well and develop independence and study skills. Staff are positive about workload and well-being support, and trustees have tightened accountability, although checks on the school's work are not yet as effective as they should be.

Strengths

• Strong staff-pupil relationships and typically good pupil behaviour
• A strong equality and diversity ethos underpins the wider curriculum
• Curriculum redesign has raised ambition and improved knowledge building, especially in key stage 3
• Support for pupils with SEND has been considerably strengthened
• Highly effective careers provision helps pupils move on to positive destinations
• Sixth-form students achieve well and develop independence and study skills
• A wide range of extra-curricular opportunities and meaningful pupil voice
• Staff feel well supported with workload and well-being
• Trustees have tightened lines of accountability
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment systems are not used consistently, so misconceptions and knowledge gaps can persist
• Many key stage 4 pupils do not read well enough and are not receiving effective catch-up support
• Leaders lack sufficient oversight of the impact of some aspects of their work, including quality of education
• A small number of pupils sometimes behave poorly, including occasional use of derogatory language
• It is too early to see the impact of curriculum changes on achievement, and some key stage 4 pupils underachieve
• Sixth-form teachers sometimes miss opportunities to check how deeply students are learning

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at George Dixon Academy attended 89.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 35.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 12.7% of pupils at George Dixon Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 George Dixon Academy had 14.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.8% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 11.5% of pupils at George Dixon Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 0.5% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 George Dixon Academy received £9,009 and spent £9,018 for each of its 1,032 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,559,000 (£1,511 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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What is George Dixon Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for George Dixon Academy is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in February 2025.

When was George Dixon Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

George Dixon Academy was last inspected in February 2025.

How many pupils does George Dixon Academy have?

George Dixon Academy has 998 pupils on roll.

What age range does George Dixon Academy cover?

George Dixon Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are George Dixon Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 37.3, and 24% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is George Dixon Academy?

George Dixon Academy is at Portland Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, West Midlands, B16 9GD.