Entries on this page include the OFSTED Grade for each Primary School updated twice a year, also recording change from previous Inspection result, together with some other relevant information below. It is worth using the search engine on the Home Page to pick up other references to individual schools.
You will find advice on Primary school Admissions and Appeals here.
You can read the full Report on each Primary School at OFSTED. Each school is awarded a main Grade: Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement (previously Satisfactory), and Inadequate (two sub categories - A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better - A school that requires special measures is one where the school is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school). Each Report carries a brief description of the school before justifying its decision in more detail. If a school is in Special Measures or Serious Weaknesses, the results of further monitoring visits are noted.
A majority of the schools that have previously had a 'Good' or 'Outstanding' assessment are given a Short Inspection (known as Section 8). These are indicated by 'Good (S). These will be confirmed in their assessment grade. However for some of these schools, the Inspection Team may consider that there are concerns, or in the case of a Good school, grounds for raising the Grade and this can only be done by a full Section Five Grade. These are recorded for example as 'Outstanding (SC) or 'Good (SR).
You will find an analysis of oversubscription and vacancies for Dartford Primary Places for September 2019 Allocations here, for 2018 here, for 2017 here, and for 2016 here.
You will find a good website to provide a host of factual data about individual Kent schools here.
Reports on Inspections between between September 2018 and July 2019 are in the first table, followed by other tables containing older ones.
(A) Indicates the school is an Academy
DARTFORD
PRIMARY SCHOOL OFSTED REPORTS Sep 2018-Jul 2019
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School |
OFSTED Grade |
Date | Change |
Anthony Roper | Good (S) | Jun 19 | No change |
Dartford Bridge Community* | Special Measures | Jan 19 | Down Two |
Joyden's Wood Junior (A)** | Good (SC) | Mar 19 | No change |
Langafel CofE VC | Good (S) | Oct 18 | No change |
Manor Community (A) | Good (S) | Nov 18 | No change |
St Anselm's Catholic | Good (S) | Jun 19 | No change |
Temple Hill (A) | Good | Jun 19 | Up one |
Westgate (A)*** | Good | Mar 19 | Up two |
*Dartford Bridge Community: A shocking and sudden decline from 'Good' in just twelve months. The Report talks about decline over years, so begging two questions: how did it get Good in a Short Inspection just twelve months previously, suggesting the Short Inspection was itself inadequate: secondly what has happened with KCC monitoring given the warning of declining KS2 results. I understand that the headteacher went missing shortly before the inspection, but rarely does one see a statement such as:'Parents’ confidence and trust in the wider leadership of the school has broken down'.
**The Joyden's Wood concerns appear mainly historical now being addressed. Four years since previous inspection so no doubt plenty of work being done.
*** Another Kent school off the KCC failed list, by academisation.
Knockhall Primary, previously a Lilac Sky school continues to be a matter of concern.
DARTFORD
PRIMARY SCHOOL OFSTED REPORTS 2016-17
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School |
OFSTED Grade |
Date | Change |
The Gateway Primary Academy | Good | Jan 17 | No change |
New Ash Green Primary | Good | Feb 17 | No change |
The Brent Primary | Outstanding | Mar 17 | Up two |
DARTFORD PRIMARY SCHOOL OFSTED REPORTS 2015-16 |
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School |
OFSTED Grade |
Date | Change |
Hartley Primary Academy | Outstanding | Mar 16 | Up one |
St Anselm's Catholic | Good | Dec 15 | No change |
Excerpt from article in the Dartford section on oversubscription and vacancies in Kent primary schools: "There are no vacancies in any school in the town, but again, most parents have been offered one school of their choice, with 34 being allocated places by KCC, nearly all at Temple Hill or Holy Trinity CofE".
DARTFORD PRIMARY SCHOOL OFSTED REPORTS 2014-15 |
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School |
OFSTED Grade |
Date | Change |
Darenth | Requires Improvement | Nov 14 | No change |
Fleetdown | Outstanding | Sep 14 | No change |
Horton Kirby CofE | Good | Feb 15 | Up one |
Joyden's Wood Junior | Good | Mar 15 | Down one |
Langafel CofE VC | Good | Mar 15 | Up one |
Oakfield | Good | Nov 14 | No change |
Temple Hill | Requires Improvement | Nov 14 | No change |
Westgate | Reasonable progress from SM | Dec 14 | |
Wilmington | Good | Jun 15 | Up one |
Excerpt from an article on oversubscription in Kent's primary schools, 2014: Dartford’s problems fall mainly on the Western side, where not one of its 16 primary schools has any vacancies, with Westgate (42 first choices turned away) and Brent (35) both in the top ten most popular schools across the county. With just 41 children being allocated by the Local Authority, most to the two very large infant schools, there are no schools that parents appear trying to avoid; however, 222 children, over 20% of the total did not get their first choice of school. Just 20 extra places were created to meet this demand. In the rest of the Borough, there are vacancies in just two schools, at Knockhall (14), which has 26 children allocated to it, and at Manor Primary in Swanscombe (8).
DARTFORD PRIMARY SCHOOL OFSTED REPORTS 2013-14 |
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School |
OFSTED Grade |
Date | Change |
Craylands |
Requires Improvement |
Dec 13 | No change |
Dartford Bridge Community |
Good |
Feb 14 | No change |
Joydens Wood Infant |
Good |
Jun 14 | Up one |
Knockhall Community |
After failed OFSTED March 13 (see below)
Local authority statement of action fit for purpose
School improvement action plan not fit for purpose. |
Oct 13 | |
Inadequate progress from SM | May 14 | ||
Manor Community | Good | Nov 13 | Up one |
Maypole | Good | Oct 13 | No change |
Our Lady of Hartley Catholic | Outstanding | Nov 13 | Up one |
St Alban's Road Infants | Good | Oct 13 | Up one |
Stone St Mary's CofE | Good | May 14 | Up one |
Sutton at Hone CofE | Good | Jan 13 | Up one |
Westgate | Special Measures | Dec 13 | Down one |
Local Authority Plan not fit for purpose
School Improvement Plan not fit for purpose
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Mar 14
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Reasonable progress towards removal of SM | Jul 14 | ||
York Road Junior Academy | Requires Improvement | Dec 13 | Up one |
2012-13 OFSTED Reports
School |
OFSTED Grade |
Date | Change |
Bean | Good | Nov 12 | Up one |
Darenth Community | Requires Improvement | May 13 | No change |
Gateway Community | Good | Sep 12 | Up one |
Hartley | Good | Nov 12 | Up one |
Horton Kirby CofE | Requires Improvement | Feb 13 | Up one |
Insufficient progress from R.I.
Insuffiicient support from KCC
|
Jun 13 | ||
Knockhall Community | Special Measures | Mar 13 | Down one |
Langafel CofE VC | Requires Improvement | Mar 13 | No change |
New Ash Green | Good | Nov 12 | Up one |
Stone St Mary's CofE | Requires Improvement | Jan 13 | No change |
Temple Hill Community | Requres Improvement | Mar 13 | No change |
The Brent | Requires Improvement | Oct 12 | No change |
Wentworth | Good | Feb 13 | New school |
West Hill | Good | Mar 13 | No change |
Wilmington | Requires Improvement | Jun 13 | No change |
Pre September 2012 Reports
School | Grade | Date | Further Information |
The Craylands School Swanscombe | Satisfactory | Jun 2012 | |
Darenth Community Primary | Satisfactory | Jun 2010 | |
Dartford Bridge Community Primary | Good | Oct 2010 | first inspection of new school |
Fleetdown Primary | Outstanding | Mar 2010 | |
The Gateway Primary | Satisfactory | Nov 2010 | |
Hartley Primary | Satisfactory | Feb 2011 | |
Holy Trinity CofE Primary | Good | Jun 2012 | |
Langafel CofE VC Primary | Satisfactory | Feb 2011 | |
Manor Community Primary, Swanscombe | Satisfactory | Jan 2011 | |
Oakfield Primary | Good | Feb 2012 | |
St Anselm's Catholic Primary | Good | Mar 2011 | |
Sutton at Hone CofE Primary | Satisfactory | Nov 2010 | |
Stone St Mary's CofE Primary | Satisfactory | Nov 2010 | |
Temple Hill Community Primary | Notice to Improve | Dec 2009 | good progress Jul 2010, see below |
Temple Hill Community Primary | Satisfactory | Mar 2011 | up from Notice to Improve |
Westgate Primary | Satisfactory | Oct 2011 | |
York Road Junior School & Language Unit | Special Measures | Nov 2011 |
The following primary schools had additional Reception intake places added in March for 2010 entry, to meet local pressures:
Manor Community Primary, up from 60 to 90 places
Maypole Primary up from 30 to 60 places