Dartford Bridge Community Primary School

Dartford Bridge Community Primary School is performing well overall, with a classification of 'Good' across all inspection domains. This marks the school's first inspection under section 5 of the Education Act since becoming an academy in 2019. The headteacher, Sarah Smith, has implemented strong leadership that has seen significant improvements in achievement and quality of education, with pupils excelling in key stage 2 assessments. The school fosters an inclusive and diverse environment, where pupils feel safe and are encouraged to celebrate various cultures and beliefs.

Strengths

• Strong and determined leadership
• Well-considered, broad, and ambitious curriculum
• High achievement in key stage 2 assessments
• Effective transition arrangements for early years
• Positive school environment encouraging respectful behavior
• Pupils appreciate and celebrate their achievements
• Rich opportunities for learning through diverse community
• Engagement in charitable activities and reflection on current events

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent development of children's writing skills in early years
• Variable quality of handwriting and presentation among pupils
• Inconsistent expectations for work presentation across staff
• Staff not fully engaging children in language and communication development

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 Dartford Bridge Community Primary School attended 95.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.1% 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 Dartford Bridge Community Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 Dartford Bridge Community Primary School had 24.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.0% 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, 11.4% of pupils at Dartford Bridge Community Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.1% 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 Dartford Bridge Community Primary School received £5,851 and spent £5,614 for each of its 447 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £287,000 (£642 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of Cygnus Academies Trust, income was £6,596 and spending £6,085 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

Dartford Bridge Community Primary School is part of Cygnus Academies Trust, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Westgate Primary School Dartford
• The Brent Primary School Dartford
• Gravel Hill Primary School Bexleyheath
• Greenlands Primary School Dartford
• Manor Community Primary School Swanscombe
• Upland Primary School Bexleyheath
• Royal Rise Primary School Tonbridge

What is Dartford Bridge Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Dartford Bridge Community Primary School is Good, from an inspection in April 2024.

When was Dartford Bridge Community Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Dartford Bridge Community Primary School was last inspected in April 2024.

How many pupils does Dartford Bridge Community Primary School have?

Dartford Bridge Community Primary School has 473 pupils on roll.

What age range does Dartford Bridge Community Primary School cover?

Dartford Bridge Community Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Dartford Bridge Community Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 79% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Dartford Bridge Community Primary School?

Dartford Bridge Community Primary School is at Community Campus, Birdwood Avenue, Dartford, Kent, DA1 5GB.