BRADFORD’s leading academy chain has been toasting another year of success, following the release of the secondary school league tables.

Dixons Academies Trust has cause for celebration, after three of its schools took the top spots in the tables, for Progress 8 results, and the percentage of students gaining a Grade 5 or above in English and Maths.

These results have seen the trust becoming the second highest performing academy trust in the country, up from fourth place last year.

Dixons Trinity Academy, in Little Horton, achieved the top results in the district, with 71 per cent of students scoring a Grade 5 or higher in the two core subjects, and also had a well above average progress score.

The Progress 8 score records how much progress a student has made from the end of Key State 2 - Year 6 - to the end of Key Stage 4 in Year 11, compared to children nationally who had similar KS2 results. It is recorded over eight subject areas.

Dixons Trinity also placed third in the country for the progress of disadvantaged pupils, and for the progress of all students.

Dixons Kings Academy in Lidget Green and Dixons City Academy in West Bowling also secured the top two spots in these markers of school success in last year’s GCSE exams.

Dixons Kings also placed in the top 40 schools nationally for student progress, and Trinity, Kings and City also outperformed every state-funded school in Leeds for student performance.

There was also a remarkable result for Dixons Allerton Academy’s Sixth Form, which placed in the top one per cent nationally for student progress - the top 0.4 per cent if private schools are discounted.

On average, Dixons students achieved almost one grade better than the national average in their best eight subjects for students with similar starting points.

Sir Nick Weller, CEO, Dixons Academies said: ”Our students and staff have done extraordinarily well this year across all of our secondary academies.

“Our strong culture, our high expectations and our focus on high value academic qualifications are the basis of our success and prove that Bradford students can compete with the very best in the country.

“As a highly inclusive Trust, we are particularly proud of the performance of disadvantaged students and those with low prior attainment on entry.”

Gary Dreher, principal at Dixons Allerton, added: “We are delighted with our remarkable Post 16 performance this year which is a testament to the hard work of our students and staff.

“Our performance at KS4 also demonstrates that Dixons Allerton is in a very strong position.”

Outside the trust, Carlton Bolling College in Undercliffe achieved the highest progress result for Council-maintained schools.

Half of Bradford’s state-funded secondary schools also achieved above average progress scores, signalling the progress being made in secondary education in the district.

Of the 30 state-funded schools, five schools were found to be underperforming, compared to the Government’s floor standards; Appleton Academy, Buttershaw Business & Enterprise College, Hanson School, One in a Million Free School, and Queensbury Academy

In the district, Ilkley Grammar, Beckfoot School and Bingley Grammar all recorded strong results for students achieving Grade 5 or over in English and Maths.

At A-Levels, Beckfoot School had the highest average points score by students, at 35.4, ahead of Bingley Grammar with 33.2, and Dixons Allerton with 32.2. Beckfoot was only outdone by independent school Bradford Grammar, which posted a very strong points score of 41.6.