George Dixon Academy
| [[File:George Dixon academy Centre.jpg|180px]] | |
| Established | 1906 |
|---|---|
| Type | Academy |
| Headteacher | Anthony Hamilton |
| Founder | George Dixon |
| Location | City Road Edgbaston Birmingham West Midlands B16 9GD England Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Local authority | Birmingham |
| DfE number | 330/5412 |
| DfE URN | 138695 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Staff | 80 (approx.) |
| Students | 1000+ |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Colours | |
| Website | www |
George Dixon Academy is a comprehensive secondary school in Birmingham, England, which, until September 2012, was named "George Dixon International School and Sixth Form Centre".[1][2] George Dixon is considered an inner-city school,[3][not in citation given] and many of its students are immigrants and refugees.[4][5][6]
History
George Dixon (1820 – 24 January 1898) was a councillor, mayor, and MP in Birmingham.[7] One of his first actions after being elected mayor in 1866 was to hold a conference to discuss the lack of education for children. This led to the formation of the Birmingham Education Society, and, by 1869, the National Education League which was chaired by Dixon. The League in turn was instrumental in the creation of the Elementary Education Act 1870 (Forster's Act), leading to the formation of the first school boards in England and Wales.
In 1884, Dixon created Bridge Street Technical School. He bought the old Cadbury's premises, and converted it to a school at his own expense. It taught science and mechanics to 400 boys for two years beyond normal school-leaving age. In 1888 the school was moved to occupy the Oozells Street Board School building, renamed George Dixon Higher Grade School in 1888, and began to include girls.[8] [9] In 1906 the school was rebuilt[10] and renamed once again as George Dixon School after its founder.[11][12] The new school building included a gymnasium.[13]
In 2002, headteacher Sir Robert Dowling was knighted for "services to special needs education".[14]
The school was rebuilt using funds from the Birmingham City Council's Building Schools for the Future Programme.[citation needed] In September 2012 the school converted to academy status and was renamed George Dixon Academy.
In popular culture
The television character Dixon of Dock Green may have been named after George Dixon. The character first appeared in the film The Blue Lamp, produced by a former pupil of the school, Michael Balcon.[8]
References
- ↑ "Birmingham school ratings: George Dixon International School and Sixth Form Centre, Edgbaston". Birmingham Mail, 28 September 2013.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Parkinson, Justin. "The art of making a school happy ". BBC News.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Ofsted Inspection Report (2010) p.3 (prior to closure of George Dixon International School and Sixth Form Centre). Accessed 4 August 2015
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 History of the Academy: Who was George Dixon? at official website. Accessed 4 August 2015
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Head 'bowled over' by top honour. BBC News, 14 June 2002. Accessed 4 August 2015
Further reading
- Dixon, James "Out of Birmingham: George Dixon (1820-98) Father of free education Brewin Books, 2013. ISBN 978-1-85858-504-8
