Dixons Fazakerley Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 24 April 2024

Pupils recognise that their school has been through a period of significant change. They told inspectors that they value the recent improvements that the school has made. For example, most pupils' behaviour is improving rapidly. This is helping pupils to feel safer and happier at school than they did in the past. Most pupils act respectfully towards each other. A minority of pupils spoke to inspectors about the derogatory language that they experience from their peers. This undermines the positive culture that the school is developing. When pupils report bullying or discrimination, the school usually tackles it quickly and effectively. Pupils know who to turn to if they are worried about anything. However, some lack confidence that staff will deal with their concerns. The trust has helped the school to raise its expectations of pupils' achievement. This includes for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, in many subjects, improvements to the curriculum have not been implemented as well as the trust intends. Many pupils still do not benefit from these improvements. They do not achieve as highly as they should. A growing number of pupils enjoy participating in various extra-curricular clubs. For example, they look forward to local and national debating competitions. Pupils were proud to tell inspectors about the work that the LGBTQ+ group has done to celebrate diversity in the school.

What the school should improve

• A minority of pupils experience discriminatory language from their peers. Some do not report these issues because they do not have full confidence that staff will deal with them. The school should implement effective strategies to identify and address unacceptable behaviour so that pupils gain confidence that their concerns will be taken seriously.
• In some subjects, staff have not had sufficient support to select appropriate subject-specific pedagogies and to deliver curriculums as intended. Added to this, they do not use information about pupils with SEND effectively in order to help them to access some aspects of the curriculum. This hinders some pupils, including those with SEND, from learning the curriculum as well as they should. The school should ensure that staff receive appropriate guidance and support so that they deliver the curriculum consistently well.
• The progress that older pupils make through the curriculum is hindered by the weaker curriculum that they experienced in the past. Many pupils have large gaps in their learning as a result. This means that their attainment by the end of Year 11 is uneven. The school should ensure that staff use effective strategies to identify and address missed learning so that these pupils achieve all that they should.
• Some pupils do not attend school as often as they should, and too many pupils are persistently absent. This is particularly the case for disadvantaged pupils and for those with SEND. As a result, these pupils miss out on important learning and wider experiences that the school provides. The school should bolster its efforts to engage positively with pupils and their families so that levels of absence reduce.
• At times, the school's systems for assuring the quality of education are not used well enough to provide a clear view of how well pupils are learning. This makes it difficult for the school to check that its intent is being fully realised. The school should ensure that improvement strategies are monitored and evaluated carefully to ensure that they have the intended positive impact on pupils' achievement.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)