Community voices on Croxteth: Why our students are proud to belong here

In our series looking at the transformation journey Dixons Croxteth Academy has been on, we have asked members of our community to share contributions about their own experiences before and after Dixons took over the school. This is our first piece by Assistant Principal, Mark Little. 

Having worked at Dixons Croxteth for over 14 years, Mark discusses the stark shift he has seen in the last few years which has transformed the way our students look at and prioritise their own learning now and what this has meant for him personally.

I’ve worked at this school for 14 years. I came here as a young teacher, and over time it’s become much more than just a workplace: it’s my school; it’s the community I grew up in. These are our children.

And I can honestly say this: our academy is now in the best position it has ever been in.

That isn’t said lightly. I’ve seen the challenging times. I’ve seen instability. I’ve seen periods where the school was working incredibly hard but simply didn’t have the capacity or consistency it needed. There was a time when we had very high levels of supply staff. That lack of stability made it difficult to build the strong foundations our students deserved.

Today, that has changed.

Learning is now the priority

The biggest difference families would notice straight away is the culture. Learning is the priority — and everyone knows it.

When you walk through our corridors and into classrooms, there is calm. There is purpose. Lessons follow clear routines. Students understand what they are doing and, importantly, why they are doing it. The quality of teaching is strong and consistent across subjects. Staff use shared approaches so that students feel secure and confident wherever they are in the building.

In the past, students didn’t always have that clarity. Now they do. They can articulate their learning. They understand our values. They understand our mission — to ensure all students succeed at university, or a real alternative, thrive in a rewarding career and have a purposeful and happy life.

That clarity has been transformative. It’s created stability, safety and trust and it’s one of the things I am most proud of at our academy.

In my role as safeguarding lead, I see this every day. Students speak up. They disclose concerns. They ask for help. That only happens when children feel safe and trust the adults around them.

Parents often tell me their biggest concern is simple: “Will my child be safe?” I understand that completely. When your child walks through our gates, you want to know they will be known, protected and supported.

That’s exactly what we do.

We are a small school, and that is a real strength. Our students are a name, not a number. I can stand at the door and greet the vast majority of them by name. We know their personalities, their strengths, their challenges. We identify needs early and put support in place quickly — whether that’s academic stretch, pastoral care or additional intervention.

No child gets lost here.

Leadership that walk the walk

Over the last three years, I’ve seen the most rapid improvement in my entire time at the school. That hasn’t happened by accident. We may not have gotten everything right at the start, we lost some good people as you often do with big change but what we have embedded and created here under new leadership has been incredible and we see that in the impact on our children, our staff and our community.

Clear roles, clear accountability and a strong focus on culture have made a real difference. Expectations are consistent. Standards are upheld. But at the same time, leadership is visible and supportive. There is confidence across the staff body because we know we are backed, and that confidence filters down to students.

We’ve worked hard to stabilise attendance, behaviour and standards. That didn’t happen overnight. It took time — around 18 months to two years of relentless focus — but the results are clear to see.

Students now take pride in being here. If you ask our students how they feel about the school, you’ll hear something powerful: they are proud to belong here.

They represent us in sport. They take part in productions. They attend debate competitions and enrichment activities. They contribute through the student council and have a voice in shaping aspects of school life.

That pride matters.

When I reflect personally, I often think: if I were a student here now, I would achieve even more than I did. The opportunities, the stretch, the challenge — they are stronger than ever before.

Our curriculum is ambitious. Our enrichment offer is broad. Our expectations are high. And our support systems are robust.

Why families should consider us

If I could say just one thing to families choosing a secondary school, it would be this:

Your child will be known here.

They will be safe. They will be supported. They will be challenged. And they will be encouraged to aim high.

We are not a warehouse-style school where students disappear into the crowd. We are a community. We work closely with families. We believe in early intervention. We believe in holding high standards while offering strong care.

Most of all, we believe that every child — regardless of background — deserves the very best education and the very best opportunities.

There was a point a few years ago when I thought about moving on professionally. But today, I have no intention of leaving.

This school is on a journey. The culture is strong. The improvements are real. The outcomes are rising. I want to be here to see it through. I want to celebrate the success that is coming with our families and our community.

Because this isn’t just a job. It’s my school. And I truly believe the best is still ahead of us.