Principal's update - 3 January 2026

Dear Unity Community

Unlike the weather, it's been a bright and positive week at Dixons Unity. My message last week about attendance clearly landed well as more students have been in school this week than the week before - let's keep that going! A letter from Jason Patterson, School and College Trust Leader can be found here sharing information about the appointment of our new principal. Having met this colleague I have every confidence that they will continue to drive forwards Dixons Unity on our journey to excellence.

There are a few key highlights from this week that I want to draw your attention to. On Monday a number of students visited Channel 4. It's fantastic that the city of Leeds hosts this brilliant institution and even better that our students get to explore a wider range of careers in this sector. Secondly, on Thursday, a number of Y10 students took part in the Landsec Made in Yorkshire challenge. This is an enterprise competition designed to give young people first-hand insight into careers in retail, design, and the built environment. Dixons Unity prides itself on a high value curriculum and fantastic teaching but these experiences to look beyond our four walls help students to look to the future and keep their aspirations on track.

Alongside these events we've had a number of fixtures in both rugby and basketball (where they came 3rd in the Dixons Cup) and also a visit from CST CEO Leora Cruddas. Leora is an incredibly influential figure in education and she was incredibly impressed with the culture and learning happening at DUA! A number of our students have also been working on the 90-minute project with West Yorkshire Police. The feedback has been incredible and I know the students are getting so much out of it.

Next week our Y7 and Y9 students begin their cycle assessments. We've sent out information to families on what is going to be on those assessments plus where students can find revision resources. If you need further information, please don't hesitate to reach out. Our Y11s are also hard at work preparing for their next set of mock examinations which begin in a few weeks. We have a number of additional careers visits next week including to KPMG and our Y9 students are continuing to work with the Kings Trust. Alongside all of this there are 30 opportunities next week for students to continue their journey to university or a real alternative and a happy and purposeful life!

That's all from me this week, see you in the next update.

Mr Jacobs