Dixons Middleton Academy, Manchester

In its own words: "At Dixons Middleton Academy, we focus on three key drivers which help our students to build intrinsic motivation:"

In 2026, pupils at Dixons Middleton Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 41.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 44 in Rochdale and 47 across England.

41% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 41% in Rochdale and 47% in England.

That is up from 40.3 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.44: pupils made below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 34.9, against 45.2 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 10.3 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 24 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Engineering Studies.

For September 2026 entry, 173 families put Dixons Middleton Academy as their first choice and 404 named it as one of their preferences, for 237 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Dixons Middleton Academy are The Radclyffe School (1.1 miles, Attainment 8 42.2); Cardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School (1.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46); North Chadderton School (1.3 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 44.4); and Saint John Henry Newman Roman Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy (1.3 miles, Attainment 8 46.8).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Dixons Middleton Academy.

Dixons Middleton Academy is one of 21 schools run by Dixons Academies Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 43.7 in 2024/25.

63 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Dixons Middleton Academy (as of September 2025): 84% would recommend the school, 91% say their child is happy there and 73% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (94%); the weakest, that the school supports their child's wider development (68%).

Of the 266 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 85% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 61% to a further education college, 5% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

11.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (68%), Black (14%) and Mixed (6%).

In 2026, 295 pupils (22.4%) received SEN support and 43 (3.3%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.

The nearest railway station is Mills Hill (Manchester) Rail Station, about 700 metres away (roughly a 9-minute walk).

16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Dixons Middleton Academy (outside), 60 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Dixons Middleton Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, Dixons Middleton Academy issued 499 suspensions, 37.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 9 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Dixons Middleton Academy are Elm Wood Primary School (0.2 miles); St Gabriel's Church of England Primary School (0.3 miles); St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale (0.5 miles); and Mills Hill Primary School (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.