Dixons Cottingley Academy
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Dixons Cottingley Academy is a sponsored academy in Bingley for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 861 pupils and room for 900. About 38 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 72 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 94% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.
Cottingley New Road, Bingley, BD16 1TZ01274 089900dixonsco.comMiss Francesca Hitch headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 15 November 2022, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
171 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018† | Bradford | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 171 | 179 | 169 | 123 | 140 | 89 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 46.7 | 50.1 | 45.1 | 44.6 | 32.2 | 40.2 | 41.5 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | +0.65 | +0.42 | +0.12 | -0.50 | +0.07 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 47% | 54% | 43% | 40% | 14% | 31% | 38% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 62% | 75% | 68% | 63% | 37% | 58% | 58% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 4.21 | 4.54 | 3.96 | 3.82 | 2.48 | 3.16 | 3.63 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 87% | 88% | 78% | 36% | 4% | 20% | 45% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 41.1 | 44.1 | 41.8 | 40.3 | 28.5 | 37.0 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 49.0 | 52.9 | 47.2 | 47.7 | 35.7 | 41.9 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 35.3 | 31.5 | 30.5 | 22.3 | 25.5 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 70.8 | 60.6 | 72.1 | 42.6 | 56.3 | – | – |
† These results are for The Samuel Lister Academy, the school this one replaced in July 2018. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Subjects
Results came out for 12 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Subjects that did worse than the England average: French (35% here, 60% across England), Geography (28% here, 51% across England), History (30% here, 52% across England), Statistics (34% here, 51% across England).
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 171 | 21% | 52% | 68% | 53% | 1,548 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 171 | 25% | 51% | 66% | 54% | 1,707 of 3,210 |
| English Literature | 169 | 25% | 58% | 70% | 58% | 1,402 of 3,202 |
| Religious Studies | 168 | 30% | 58% | 73% | 60% | 1,057 of 1,825 |
| Statistics | 167 | 5% | 34% | 54% | 51% | 287 of 375 |
| Combined Science | 154 | 16% | 42% | 55% | 36% | 969 of 3,084 |
| French | 147 | 13% | 35% | 50% | 60% | 1,724 of 1,974 |
| History | 132 | 18% | 30% | 43% | 52% | 2,762 of 3,126 |
| Geography | 36 | 8% | 28% | 28% | 51% | 2,703 of 3,116 |
| Biology | 16 | 88% | 88% | 88% | 82% | – |
| Physics | 14 | 64% | 100% | 100% | 82% | – |
| Chemistry | 14 | 93% | 100% | 100% | 81% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
A level and sixth-form results, 2019
25 students finished sixth-form courses.
All sixth-form measures, year by year
| Measure | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Students | 25 |
| Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry | 20.00 |
| Average A level grade | D |
| A level progressA level value added | -0.61 |
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 2 of the 3 gaps are smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At GCSE, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Open to all. There is no entrance test.
About 119 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.
In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.
We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.
How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place (173 offers for 180 places).
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (44), emotional and mental health (33), language and communications needs (28), Autistic spectrum disorder (13), Specific learning difficulty (10), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (8).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 861 | 862 | 872 | 867 | 818 | 774 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 38% | 35% | 33% | 34% | 32% | 30% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 25% | 24% | 23% | 28% | 30% | 36% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 12% | 12% | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 88.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 11.8% | 11.2% | 11.4% | 10.8% | 9.8% | 8.5% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 6.1% | 4.8% | 5.8% | 5.1% | 4.5% | 4.5% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 5.7% | 6.4% | 5.7% | 5.7% | 5.3% | 4.0% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 35.6% | 32.9% | 36.3% | 34.2% | 26.0% | 25.9% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 30.9 | 81.2 | 82.6 | 61.9 | 45.6 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 169 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 82%, compared with 97% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 91% | 81% | 83% | 87% |
| Education | 89% | 79% | 79% | 84% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 1% | 3% | 1% |
| Work | 1% | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Not in education, work or training | 5% | 15% | 11% | 10% |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belle Vue Girls' Academy | Academy | 0.7 miles | 910 | Report card 2025 | 53 | Compare |
| Beckfoot Upper Heaton | Academy | 0.9 miles | 679 | Good 2023 | 15 | Compare |
| Beckfoot School | Academy | 0.9 miles | 1,592 | No overall grade 2025 | 86 | Compare |
| Titus Salt School | Council | 1.3 miles | 1,462 | Report card 2026 | 8 | Compare |
| St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy | Academy | 1.6 miles | 1,800 | Report card 2026 | 33 | Compare |
| Bradford Girls' Grammar School | Free school | 2.0 miles | 667 | No overall grade 2024 | 50 | Compare |
| Bingley Grammar School | Voluntary | 2.1 miles | 1,985 | Good 2023 | 41 | Compare |
| Dixons Allerton Academy | Academy | 2.1 miles | 1,775 | Requires improvement 2024 | 10 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Dixons Cottingley Academy with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
No school with a similar mix of pupils within 25 km scores clearly higher.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 72 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 72% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 65 to 79. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | in line | -0.02 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 171 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 18% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | in line | +0.02 | Ofsted grade, 3.8 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | above | +0.18 | DfE progress measure; 171 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | well above | +0.12 | results and attendance rising year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | well below | -0.12 | 2024/25; 924 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | well above | +0.19 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 171 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | in line | -0.01 | 169 pupils |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is Dixons Cottingley Academy a good school?
Yes, going by the figures. Dixons Cottingley Academy scores 72 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 94% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 65 to 79, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is Dixons Cottingley Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Dixons Cottingley Academy good at its last full inspection on 15 November 2022.
How good are Dixons Cottingley Academy's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 47% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 46.7, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished most of a grade ahead of children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does Dixons Cottingley Academy have?
861 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 900 places, so it is 96% full.
Is Dixons Cottingley Academy oversubscribed?
Probably not. 119 places were empty in 2024/25 (12% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Dixons Cottingley Academy?
Pupils were in school 88.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 36% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Dixons Cottingley Academy?
The average class had 27.5 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 26% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does Dixons Cottingley Academy have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship; 91% of 2022/23 leavers were still in education, work or training six months on.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Cottingley New Road, Bingley, BD16 1TZ
- Telephone
- 01274 089900
- Website
- www.dixonsco.com
- Headteacher
- Miss Francesca Hitch
- Type of school
- Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- Dixons Academies Trust (21 schools)
- Local authority
- Bradford
- Ward
- Bingley Rural
- Constituency
- Shipley
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 July 2018 (fresh start)
- URN
- 146198 · LAESTAB 3804073 · UKPRN 10067948
- Formerly
- The Samuel Lister Academy
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Bradford council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025, 2026.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.