West Hill Primary Academy

West Hill Primary Academy demonstrates a strong overall performance, effectively meeting the expected standards across a range of educational aspects. The school excels in personal development, fostering a sense of character and community among its pupils, who are actively encouraged to take on leadership roles and participate in enriching experiences. Although attendance is generally high, leaders continue to address the persistent absence of specific groups, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs.

Strengths

• Pupils excel in personal development and demonstrate a strong sense of character.
• The school has a positive culture of safeguarding and meets all standards.
• Leaders have a clear vision and understanding of areas for improvement.
• Pupils achieve well, particularly in reading and mathematics, with effective support for those with additional needs.
• The curriculum is ambitious and well-sequenced, providing engaging learning opportunities.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in addressing inaccuracies in letter formation among pupils.
• Some teaching choices are not as closely matched to pupils' starting points and needs as they could be.
• Persistent absence rates among certain groups, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, remain a concern.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at West Hill Primary Academy attended 94.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.7% of pupils at West Hill Primary Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 West Hill Primary Academy had 26.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 8.9% of pupils at West Hill Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 West Hill Primary Academy received £6,005 and spent £6,136 for each of its 520 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £113,000 (£216 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of The Golden Thread Alliance, income was £6,661 and spending £6,531 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Dartford · Kent local authority: places and applications

West Hill Primary Academy is part of The Golden Thread Alliance, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Oakfield Primary Academy Dartford
• Temple Hill Primary Academy Dartford
• Fleetdown Primary Academy Dartford
• Wrotham Road Primary School Gravesend
• The Riverview Academy Gravesend
• Meopham Community Academy Gravesend
• Culverstone Green Primary School Gravesend

What is West Hill Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for West Hill Primary Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in March 2026.

When was West Hill Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

West Hill Primary Academy was last inspected in March 2026.

How many pupils does West Hill Primary Academy have?

West Hill Primary Academy has 542 pupils on roll.

What age range does West Hill Primary Academy cover?

West Hill Primary Academy for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are West Hill Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is West Hill Primary Academy?

West Hill Primary Academy is at Dartford Road, Dartford, Kent, DA1 3DZ.