Dixons Newall Green Academy

Dixons Newall Green Academy is a new, growing school that opened in September 2023 and currently serves pupils in Years 7 to 9. Inspectors found it is performing well overall, with particularly strong inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development. Leaders and the Dixons Academies Trust have built a deliberately inclusive school where pupils' sensory, social and emotional needs are considered, pupils feel safe and supported, and staff are well supported. Safeguarding standards are met. The curriculum is ambitious, teaching is generally effective, and pupils learn well, including disadvantaged pupils and those who speak English as an additional language. Attendance has improved at an impressive rate and behaviour has improved dramatically since opening, though overall absence and persistent absence remain above national averages. Some older pupils still have large gaps in learning because of previously poor attendance, and a minority of classrooms do not consistently adapt teaching well enough for pupils with SEND or those who struggle with reading, writing or number. Leaders have worked hard to build trust with families and the community after a difficult start, and more families are now choosing the school. Given its high levels of disadvantage, SEND and EHC plans, the school has strong systems and a rapid trajectory of development. The main next step is to make teaching adaptations consistently effective so all pupils progress smoothly through the curriculum.

Strengths

• Deliberately inclusive provision that accounts for pupils' sensory, social and emotional needs
• Highly effective trust support, governance and leadership at all levels
• Strong personal development, pastoral care and mental health support
• A caring culture where pupils feel safe, respected and supported
• Ambitious, well-designed curriculum with strong teacher subject expertise
• Effective support for disadvantaged pupils, EAL pupils and pupils with SEND
• Rapid improvements in attendance and sharp reductions in misbehaviour and suspensions
• Comprehensive careers education and enrichment opportunities for all pupils
• Positive relationships between pupils and staff and a calm, orderly school environment
• Safeguarding standards met, with an open culture of safeguarding
• Staff feel well supported and benefit from a collegiate culture

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching adaptations for pupils with SEND or those struggling with reading, writing or number are inconsistent in a minority of classrooms
• Some older pupils have large gaps in knowledge from previous poor attendance and are not as well prepared for key stage 4 as they could be
• Overall attendance and persistent absence remain above national averages, despite rapid improvement

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 Dixons Newall Green Academy attended 89.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 33.3% 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, 21.4% of pupils at Dixons Newall Green Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No 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 Dixons Newall Green Academy had 22.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 26.1% 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, 29.7% of pupils at Dixons Newall Green Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 7.1% 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 Dixons Newall Green Academy received £11,309 and spent £10,257 for each of its 255 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £159,000 (£623 per pupil).

Across all 21 schools of Dixons Academies Trust, income was £8,572 and spending £8,488 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

All schools in Manchester · Manchester local authority: places and applications

Dixons Newall Green Academy is part of Dixons Academies Trust, which runs 21 schools. The nearest others:

• Dixons Brooklands Academy Manchester
• Dixons Silver Springs Primary Stalybridge
• Dixons Ashton Academy Ashton-Under-Lyne
• Dixons Middleton Academy Manchester
• Dixons Pennine Academy Stalybridge
• Dixons Broadgreen Academy Liverpool
• Dixons Croxteth Academy Liverpool
• Dixons Fazakerley Academy Liverpool
• Dixons Allerton Academy Bradford
• Dixons Kings Academy Bradford

What is Dixons Newall Green Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Dixons Newall Green Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Dixons Newall Green Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Dixons Newall Green Academy was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Dixons Newall Green Academy have?

Dixons Newall Green Academy has 364 pupils on roll.

What age range does Dixons Newall Green Academy cover?

Dixons Newall Green Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

Where is Dixons Newall Green Academy?

Dixons Newall Green Academy is at Greenbrow Road, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M23 2SX.