Dartford Bridge Community Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 27 February 2024

Pupils enjoy being part of this happy, inclusive school. They appreciate belonging to a diverse community where different cultures and beliefs are celebrated. Pupils value the rich opportunities this brings to learn about other people's faiths and customs. The school is calm and orderly and most pupils behave sensibly. Warm relationships and effective transition arrangements help younger children to settle into the early years with ease. They delight in learning new things and exploring the early years environment. During lunchtimes, pupils play happily together. They feel safe and know that any concerns are quickly resolved. Pupils live up to the school's expectations to be caring and respectful citizens. They learn that leadership comes with responsibilities as well as rights. Pupils help others through their participation in charitable fundraising events. During assembly times, they also reflect on current news and topical issues affecting other communities. Pupils appreciate that the school recognises their achievements, which are celebrated during assemblies. They also look forward to special events, such as the eagerly anticipated talent show, where they can showcase their individual talents. They value education and know that this is important for their future success. By the time pupils leave the school, most achieve well. This sets them up well to succeed in their secondary education.

What the school should improve

• The school does not give sufficient focus to developing children's early writing skills, including using correct pencil grip and letter formation, for some children. As a result, some children in early years are not developing their writing skills consistently well, which persists into key stage 1 for some pupils. This is reflected in the variable quality of some pupils' handwriting. The school needs to ensure that early writing skills, and the necessary pre-requisite skills and knowledge children need for writing, are taught systematically and fully effectively.
• In early years, staff do not enhance or develop children's language and communication consistently well. Not all staff engage children well enough in dialogue to extend their vocabulary, enhance their communication skills, or enrich their play. The school needs to ensure that all staff have the knowledge and expertise they need to deliver this aspect of the early years curriculum effectively.
• The school has not ensured that all staff have consistently high enough expectations for how pupils present their work. As a result, across the school and in different subjects, pupils' handwriting and presentation are not as good as they could be and this can impede the overall quality of some pupils' work. The school needs to iron out these inconsistencies and ensure that all staff have equally high expectations.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)