OFSTED inspectors deemed safeguarding at a Bradford school to be effective following a recent inspection.

The education watchdog’s visit to Dixons Allerton Academy, Rhodesway, in January was prompted by concerns about “aspects of the quality of education for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), the effectiveness of leadership and management and safeguarding and behaviour and attitudes of pupils”.

While a subsequent report from the visit was largely positive, some ‘priorities for further improvement’ were raised. These were focused on pupils’ learning during sex education classes and how some youngsters would struggle to be open about their sexuality.

The latest inspection did not provide a new rating for the school, and it remains Good.

The report said staff and leaders know how to identify pupils with SEND and information is acted on quickly to ensure they get the right support.

“When the need for support extends beyond the expertise in the school, leaders work with Bradford local authority and other agencies, such as counselling support, to secure the additional support required,” said inspector Debbie Redshaw.

“Pupils who have SEND say that they are well supported with their work.”

The report said the designated safeguarding lead “has strong oversight of safeguarding in the school”.

“There is a clear understanding of the local risks that pupils may face. Staff know what to do and who to report to if they have a concern about another member of staff.”

Primary school pupils said bullying does not happen very often, but there are more incidents in secondary school. The report said there had been a “high number of suspensions” in the secondary school since September, but that is now reducing.

On where further improvement is needed, the report said: “A small number of pupils say that they miss opportunities to learn in relationships and sex education lessons due to some pupils’ silly behaviour. This means that they are sometimes missing out on vital learning about things such as sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and violence and how to report it. A minority of pupils say that pupils who are in a same-sex relationships would struggle to be open about this in school. This is because some pupils are not accepting of all of the protected characteristics as defined by the Equality Act 2010.”

The report said the school is clear “there is further work to do here”.

Danny Carr, principal of Dixons Allerton Academy, said: “We are incredibly proud of this report which truly captures the strong culture of safeguarding and is our most positive Ofsted feedback to date. As always, Ofsted has outlined areas for development. We are already addressing these, as the report acknowledges.”