Dixons Trinity Chapeltown Review 2026: All-through education with an extended day and high expectations

An all-through school in Chapeltown that has grown quickly since opening in 2017, and now serves pupils from Reception through to Year 11 on one site. The defining feature is a very deliberate culture, built around clear values, a longer school day, and structured routines that aim to keep learning time high and distractions low. Leadership spans both phases, with Emma Hickey as all-through Principal and Angelique O’Garo leading the primary phase.

For families, the big advantage is continuity. Many pupils can remain in the same organisation from age 4 to 16, with a consistent approach to behaviour, learning habits, and enrichment. The trade-off is competitiveness at entry, especially into Year 7, where demand substantially outstrips places.

The tone is purposeful and systems-led, with an emphasis on routine, expectation, and language that pupils revisit over time. Three values sit at the centre, hard work, trust and fairness, and the school’s wider framing uses a “climb” metaphor, with pupils moving through named phases such as Base camp and Lower peak before reaching Upper peak in GCSE years.

In primary, the same culture is translated for younger pupils through story, oracy and carefully structured classroom routines. The early years approach places a visible focus on communication and language, with planned progression for communication, and Mathematics Mastery as the stated programme for building secure number understanding.

Leadership is also clearly signposted. Emma Hickey is named as Principal on the school website, and Angelique O’Garo as Head of Primary; internal documentation also shows Hickey taking up a senior leadership post from 05 June 2023, following a leadership transition in 2023.

Because this is an all-through school, performance needs reading in two parts.

Primary outcomes (Key stage 2)

In the most recently published key stage 2 data, 75.33% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, above the England figure of 62%. At the higher standard, 6.67% reached greater depth, compared with the England figure of 8%, so the top-end attainment is an area to watch alongside the strong pass rate.

Reading is a clear strength in the underlying measures, with a reading scaled score of 104. Mathematics sits at 101, and grammar, punctuation and spelling at 106.

Ranked 9,937th in England and 118th in Leeds for primary outcomes, this reflects performance below England average overall, placing it within the lower 40% of schools in England on the FindMySchool ranking, which is derived from official data.

Secondary outcomes (GCSE)

At GCSE, the profile looks stronger. Average Attainment 8 is 47.8, and Progress 8 is 0.52, indicating students make well above average progress from their starting points. EBacc entry and attainment is more mixed, with 30.9% achieving grade 5 or above in the EBacc measure used here, and an EBacc average point score of 4.5.

Ranked 1,215th in England and 12th in Leeds for GCSE outcomes, this places the school broadly in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile) on the FindMySchool ranking, which is derived from official data.

For parents comparing local options, this is a good use case for the FindMySchool Local Hub comparison tool, since the primary and secondary profiles point in different directions, and the best “fit” depends on your child’s stage and starting point.

The curriculum is described as academic, broad and balanced, with detailed subject knowledge specified by discipline and underpinned by the National Curriculum. The emphasis is on pupils remembering core content over time, with a consistent approach across subjects rather than a patchwork of unrelated initiatives.

A distinctive feature is how much of the enrichment is built into the week rather than bolted on. The school describes an extended academy day that creates space for co-curricular electives and interventions alongside lessons, and this shows up in both phase timetables.

At secondary, homework and independent practice are highly structured, with named platforms used for different subjects in younger year groups. Even if families do not love screen-based homework, the advantage is clarity, pupils know where homework sits and how they are expected to complete it.

All-through schools live or die by transition points, and there are two that matter here.

Year 6 to Year 7

A core benefit is internal progression. Pupils do not have to navigate a move to a different organisation at 11, and the “middle peak” framing explicitly spans Years 5 to 8, signalling deliberate continuity in routines and expectations.

Year 11 to post-16

There is no sixth form, so every student makes a transition after GCSEs. The school’s published careers documentation describes encounters with post-16 providers and structured guidance across year groups, including mock interviews and planned exposure to options and pathways.

Specific examples of post-16 exploration are also referenced in school communications, including Year 10 students visiting Notre Dame Catholic Sixth Form College for a taster day. That sort of exposure matters for students who have never had older siblings go through local post-16 routes, and it makes the Year 11 move feel less abrupt.

Admissions are coordinated through the local authority, and the school publishes a clear timeline for September 2026 entry. For Year 7, applications open on 01 September 2025 and close on 31 October 2025. Reception applications open on 01 November 2025 and close on 15 January 2026. Published admission numbers are 112 places for Year 7 and 60 places for Reception.

Competition looks meaningfully different depending on entry point. In the latest published demand data, Reception had 138 applications for 47 offers, about 2.94 applications per place. Year 7 was much more competitive, with 583 applications for 57 offers, about 10.23 applications per place.

Open events are advertised via the banner on the school website rather than held to a permanently published calendar, so families should expect the main Year 7 open season to sit in early autumn and check the school’s announcements for the current year’s booking process.

If you are assessing how realistic admission is from a specific address, use the FindMySchool Map Search and treat it as a directional tool rather than a guarantee. All schools with distance-based criteria see year-to-year movement based on applicant distribution.

The pastoral model is unusually explicit. The school describes a “Mountain Rescue” approach, intended to join up support that in some settings sits across separate teams. The SEND Information Report lists key roles and names across safeguarding, SEND, year leadership, and wellbeing, alongside mentors and a school nurse, with a stated aim of providing support without stigma.

SEND is also treated as whole-school work rather than an add-on. The same report references structured strategies for inclusion, including one-page medical summaries for staff and a focus on emotional regulation strategies embedded across classrooms as part of the universal offer.

Safeguarding is framed as a trust-wide priority through a published child protection and safeguarding policy that references statutory guidance and procedures, including training and reporting structures.

Inspectors confirmed safeguarding is effective.

This is an area where the school has a tangible point of difference: enrichment is not treated as optional “extras” that only the most confident pupils access.

Co-curricular electives built into the timetable

For Years 7, 8 and 9, students attend two hours of co-curricular electives each week, described as extra-curricular embedded into the timetable. The published examples include sign language, dance, steel pans, podcasting, drama, Spanish, and the Sports Leader qualification. Sport is also part of the co-curricular mix, including rowing delivered with London Youth Rowing.

That design has a practical implication. When enrichment sits inside the week, attendance is less dependent on parents being able to collect late, pay for transport, or fight for a place in a club that runs once a term.

Extra-curricular options and academic support

Alongside timetabled co-curricular, the school also references daily clubs and interventions, including homework club, and names the DTC Newspaper club as a specific example in its secondary handbook. The iBase is described as being available before school, at break, and after school, which will suit students who need a structured space to work or reset.

Visits, residentials, and financial accessibility

The handbook describes educational visits ranging from local lesson-time trips to residential activities. It also states that Years 7 and 9 have a residential (up to three nights) that is treated as part of the curriculum, and it references subsidies and payment plans for families facing financial hardship.

The school publishes phase-specific timings. Primary runs 8.40am to 3.20pm each weekday, and secondary runs 8.20am to 3.30pm. A free breakfast club is offered from 8.00am for primary, with arrival required between 8.00am and 8.15am, and places booked in advance. A paid after-school club is also described for primary, delivered by partner coaches and booked ahead.

Travel guidance in the secondary handbook encourages walking or cycling where possible, and notes the availability of bike racks. It also states that parents are not permitted to park in academy grounds unless they have a disabled parking permit, and asks families to avoid illegal parking in surrounding streets, using a one-way system and turning circle for drop-off.

• Primary results are uneven at the top end. The expected standard pass rate is strong, but the higher standard figure is below the England benchmark. For high-attaining pupils, ask how stretch and extension are delivered in Years 5 and 6.

• Year 7 entry is highly competitive. Demand materially exceeds places in the latest published data, so families should treat it as a reach option unless they have strong priority under the oversubscription criteria.

• Post-16 transition is universal. With no sixth form, every student changes setting after GCSEs. This suits students ready for a new start, but some will prefer schools where sixth form continuity is available.

• The approach is structured. Routines, expectations, and a deliberate culture are central. Many students thrive on this clarity, but families seeking a looser, more informal style should check fit carefully.

Dixons Trinity Chapeltown is a high-expectation all-through option that combines a longer day with a clear culture and timetabled enrichment, and it has a strong Ofsted profile. The all-through structure will appeal to families who value continuity from Reception to GCSE, and who want consistent routines across phases. It best suits pupils who respond well to clear expectations and structured learning habits, and families who are comfortable with a highly organised approach. The main challenge is admission, particularly into Year 7, where competition for places is the limiting factor.

The latest Ofsted inspection outcome for the school was Outstanding (inspection 03 November 2021).