Dixons Ashton Academy

State school · Mixed · ages 11–16 · no sixth formTameside, Ashton-under-Lyne OL6school website

Four in five Year 11 leavers stay in education, in line with the England rate; most to a sixth form college (41%).

Where this school leads
80%

of Year 11 leavers stayed in education · Tameside 83% · England 86% · DfE destination measures, pupils who left in 2023

Knowledge sphere of Dixons Ashton Academy: fields of knowledge mapped by the subjects taken here, by ISCED levelLanguage & Communication · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Language & Communication · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 46%Language & Communication · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 33%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Natural Sciences · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 35%Natural Sciences · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 9%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 31%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Health & Safety · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 34%Health & Safety · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Business & Administration · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 11%Business & Administration · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 9%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 7%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 18%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Transversal Skills · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 17%Transversal Skills · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 42%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%LanguageMathsScienceICTEngineeringHealthBusinessLawSocialArtsTransversalGreen
Ofsted
Inspected
Places
—
Pupils
1,326
Free school meals
52.0%

Ofsted: Short inspection, 11 March 2025: see the report · report. Places: the last distance at which places were offered is not on file (it comes from Tameside’s allocation statistics). Pupils: of 1,350 places. Free school meals: pupils eligible, a measure of family income.

Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registrations: Stamford High School (URN 106260); Hartshead Sports College (URN 106264).

After Year 11 · age 16

Where do pupils go at 16?

80%stayed in education after Year 11
This school80%
Tameside83%
England86%

DfE Key Stage 4 destination measures · 264 pupils who left Year 11 in 2023

Dixons Ashton Academy has no sixth form. Of the 264 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, 41% moved to a sixth form college, 37% to a further education college and 2% started an apprenticeship.

Stayed in education — counted only if the pupil was still there for two terms of the next year; apprenticeships and jobs are counted the same way.

Full breakdown11
MeasureDixons Ashton AcademyTamesideEngland
Pupils in the cohort2642,864607,348
Any sustained destination84%89%92%
Stayed in education80%83%86%
— school sixth form1%3%34%
— sixth form college41%36%13%
— further education college37%43%37%
— other education1%2%2%
Apprenticeship2%3%3%
Employment3%3%3%
No sustained destination12%8%6%
Destination unknown4%3%3%
GCSE · Year 11 · 2025

How do GCSE results compare?

38.1Attainment 8 score, out of 90
This school38.1
Tameside43.6
England46.1

Attainment 8 — average GCSE points across eight subjects, English and maths counted twice; grade 5 in everything scores 50.

DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · 230 pupils in Year 11

44% of pupils here are disadvantaged (England 28%). Disadvantaged pupils here scored 32.7 — below disadvantaged pupils across England (34.9).

30% got grade 5 or above in both English and maths (Tameside 41%, England 45%).

Grade 5 — a “strong pass”; grade 4 is a “standard pass”. Progress 8 is not published for 2025: this cohort had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020–21, so there is no baseline.

All GCSE measures10
MeasureDixons Ashton AcademyTamesideEngland
Attainment 8 (average points per pupil)38.143.646.1
Grade 5 or above in English and maths30%41%45%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths50%63%65%
Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects33%35%41%
EBacc average point score3.353.814.09
Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort44%35%28%
Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils32.735.734.9
Attainment 8 — other pupils42.447.850.4
Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2)———
English as an additional language33%15%19%
Subjects · 2025

What do pupils study?

57.78%of the Key Stage 3 and GCSE curriculum mapped by the subjects taken here

Mapped — the share of the 2,029 learning outcomes the Department for Education sets for these stages that the subjects taken here cover, weighted by how many pupils take each.

DfE subject entries 2025 · curriculum catalogue by sch.today

Business Studies stands out at GCSE — 33% of the year group took it, against 18% across England.

Language & Communication46%
Green & Sustainability42%
Natural Sciences35%
Health & Safety34%
Mathematics & Statistics33%

Fields of knowledge — twelve fields the curriculum catalogue sorts every learning outcome into; the bars show the GCSE and A level ring.

GCSE subjects26

Entries as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEnglandGrades 7–9EnglandGrades 4–9
English Language231100%89%4%20%52%
Mathematics230100%88%9%22%59%
English Literature230100%86%8%21%52%
Combined Science18982%65%2%9%52%
Geography11349%41%8%25%39%
History10747%41%14%26%58%
Business Studies7733%18%12%20%60%
Citizenship Studies6830%3%13%19%74%
French6830%18%18%29%60%
Religious Studies4218%31%36%32%74%
Computer Science4218%13%14%30%43%
Art and Design3314%7%12%24%64%
Film Studies3013%1%10%20%47%
Biology2511%23%36%45%92%
Photography2410%6%25%19%83%
Physics2310%23%35%46%100%
Chemistry2310%23%35%47%96%
Design and Technology209%11%5%23%35%
Music104%5%0%33%30%
Textiles94%2%0%27%100%
Urdu83%1%75%42%100%
Polish52%1%—84%—
Italian42%0%—53%—
Spanish31%19%—27%—
Persian10%0%—77%—
Fine Art10%9%—28%—
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications5
SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEngland
Health Studies52——
Small Business Management47——
Sports Studies39——
Speech and Drama10——
Health Studies1——
Fields of knowledge, all stages12
Language & Communication58%
Green & Sustainability53%
Natural Sciences47%
Health & Safety46%
Mathematics & Statistics40%
Engineering & Manufacturing37%
Transversal Skills30%
Arts & Humanities25%
Digital & ICT Skills23%
Law & Public Administration15%
Business & Administration13%
Social & Cultural Skills11%

Ideas pupils meet most, weighted by the share of the cohort taking the subjects that teach them:

fraction 16.0percentage 11.1ratio 10.5vocabulary 9.2gradient 8.8translation 7.8power 7.7reflection 7.4grammar 7.0root 7.0equation 7.0particle model 6.9audience 6.7area 6.1standard form 6.0impact 6.0formulae 6.0energy transfer 5.9context 5.6evidence 5.6percentage change 5.5scale 5.4change of state 5.3presentation 5.2

Coverage counts a subject’s outcomes in proportion to the share of the cohort entered for it; Combined Science counts as two thirds of the three separate sciences. Levels follow ISCED 2011 as UNESCO maps it for the UK: Key Stage 3 is ISCED 2; GCSE and A level are both ISCED 3. Methodology: about the data.

Careers

Which jobs use what’s taught here?

12apprenticeship standards closely match the subjects pupils take

A match of what’s taught, not of entry requirements: the standards whose knowledge and skills share the most ideas with the GCSEs and A levels taken here, weighted by how many pupils take each subject.

Level 3 / Level 6 — England’s qualification levels: 3 is A level standard, 4–5 are higher apprenticeships, 6 is a bachelor’s degree.

Skills England apprenticeship standards (Open Government Licence v3.0) · ESCO occupations, © European Union, matched by sch.today · how the match works

Water industry asset maintenance technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses ratio, area, percentage from Biology, Business Studies, Chemistry and 9 more · jobs: consumer electronics repair technician, industrial electrician, electrician
Process industry manufacturing technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses pressure, conservation of mass, energy change from Chemistry, Design and Technology, Mathematics and 4 more · jobs: chemical engineering technician, chemical manufacturing quality technician, chemical production manager
ScientistLevel 6 degree apprenticeship · health and science · uses conclusion, data interpretation, probability from Biology, Chemistry, Geography and 3 more · jobs: physicist, analytical chemist, geneticist
More apprenticeships9
Geoscientist (integrated degree)Level 6 degree apprenticeship · health and science · uses data interpretation, climate change, conduct field work from Biology, Chemistry, Geography and 3 more · jobs: geologist, geological engineer, exploration geologist
Science manufacturing technician 2023Level 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses unit conversion, graph, pressure from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and 2 more · jobs: pharmaceutical engineer, chemical manufacturing quality technician, pharmacy technician
Battery manufacturing technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses area, unit conversion, volume from Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and 2 more · jobs: battery test technician
Data technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · digital · uses mean, integer, chart from Business Studies, Computer Science, English Language and 4 more · jobs: data analyst, database administrator, data scientist
Non-destructive technologies technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses ratio, measurement, data interpretation from Biology, Design and Technology, Geography and 4 more
Production assistant - screen and audioLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · creative and design · uses spelling, punctuation, grammar from English Literature, English, Modern Foreign Language · jobs: factory hand, supply chain assistant, management assistant
Water industry network technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses standard form, unit conversion, volume from Chemistry, Design and Technology, Mathematics and 3 more · jobs: sewerage network operative, product quality inspector, sewerage maintenance technician
Storyboard artistLevel 7 degree apprenticeship · creative and design · uses presentation, accuracy, interpretation from Art and Design, English Language, Geography and 5 more · jobs: storyboard artist
Junior visual effects - VFX artist or assistant technical director - ATDLevel 4 (higher) apprenticeship · creative and design · uses scale, data collection, data structure from Art and Design, Chemistry, Computer Science and 5 more · jobs: 3D modeller, technical director, animation layout artist
Admissions

How do you get a place?

The last distance at which Dixons Ashton Academy offered Year 7 places is not yet on file; it comes from Tameside’s allocation statistics.

  1. 31 OctApply to Tameside in Year 6 for a Year 7 place
  2. 1 MarNational Offer Day
Tameside

Compare with nearby schools

Stayed in education at 16 · Attainment 8 · pupils

Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.