Dixons Kings Academy has been plagued by issues since its inception four years ago. The recent stabbing of a teacher adds another unfortunate incident to its short history. Although there is no apparent link between the school’s free school status and the violent event, the school’s bipolar journey has been noteworthy. Being one of the first free schools to open in 2011, Dixons Kings Academy, formerly known as the Kings Science Academy, was highly praised by Michael Gove, the then Education Secretary. Consolidating this praise, the prime minster visited the school in 2012. However, this initial success was short-lived as soon after, Ofsted inspectors rated the school "requires improvement", criticising the school’s leadership, management and teaching processes. Financial mismanagement added fuel to the fire and the Department for Education’s funding agency launched an investigation that leaked information containing charges against senior management. The published report concluded that “serious failings in financial management” had occurred. Yorkshire Post reported that these charges were not passed on to West Yorkshire police, leading to fraud charges against founder and headteacher, Sajid Hussain Raza, and four other staff members. Despite denying the charges, Raza was dismissed by the school after a disciplinary hearing. The involvement of a local businessman, Alan Lewis, also caused controversy as his company leased the school facilities from the DfE in a deal worth nearly £6m. The school named Lewis as its chair of governors, but he claimed he had never occupied the role, instead serving as the school’s “executive patron”. The school’s fortunes changed last year when it was taken over by the Dixons Academy Trust after further inspection criticisms by Ofsted.
