Our catchment area is dependent on how many applications we have in any one year. One year we may have many applications from close to the school so the catchment area becomes smaller. If there isn’t a large birth rate for a particular year, we will take children from further away from the school.

Reception places are decided by the Local Authority. There is an online application which can be found on this site under ‘Apply.’ 

They will need to complete a form and they will be put on a waiting list with the Local Authority. 

Yes. Forms are available from the office or will be included with the letter from the Local Authority at the time the spaces are offered to parents. 

To access the Milestone satellite, you will need to apply directly to Milestone Academy. Dartford Primary Academy children do not have access to this specialist site.

All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are entitled to a ‘Universal free school meal.’ We also provide a fruit or vegetable snack for each child in these year groups. Children in Years 3-6 can have dinners if parents choose to pay for them. You may be entitled to Free School Meals if you are in receipt of income support. Please make sure you claim for this, even if your child gets Universal Free School Meals anyway, because it means the school will get additional funding to support your child’s education.

Currently there are clubs for all year groups that run from 30-60 minutes after school once a week. There is no after school or breakfast club provision for Reception children.

We take advice from the nurseries on this and will separate children that do not work well together. Our priorities when organising classes are making sure we have a balance of boys/girls, older/younger and SEN needs in each class. We try to ensure children have a familiar face in their class where possible but cannot guarantee they will be with their best friend.

• Anti-bullying Policy
• Behaviour Policy

Transition is an important part of children starting school. We have held come and play sessions, story sessions, meet your teacher days, home visits and staggered starts to help children transition to our school. The Reception team also visits Nurseries in the local area as an extra opportunity to meet your child and gain valuable information from their key worker before they start school.

Ordinarily we open our doors at 8.45am. Children in Reception, Years 1 and 2 finish at 3.00pm, and those in Key stage 2 (Years 3-6) finish at 3.20pm. Due to COVID-19 we currently have staggered start and finish times for all year groups and we may not return to our previous arrangements for some time, if ever. We will keep you informed if you choose to send your child to DPA.

We follow the Read, Write, Inc scheme for Phonics. This enables all children to be taught to their level. Reception children are grouped later in the year after they have had time to become familiar with the Reception team and school routines.

We do go outside in all weathers and we strongly advise children to come to school with appropriate outside clothing; a warm coat, hats, gloves, scarf. 

The children have access to the school library weekly, where they are able to choose a book to take home and share with adults and then return it to change it for another book. 

We use a range of websites and apps which the children have access to via a username and a password. These can be used at home and include; MyON, Purple Mash, Numbots and Times Tables Rockstars. 

We are a three form entry school which means we have three Reception classes. These classes will have up to 30 children and 2 adults. However, Reception works best as a team so our adults move across all classes to support learning and our children access the Reception playground together during child initiated times.

We have an Inclusion Team who work closely with families to provide the best support for your child. If you do have concerns, please contact the school office upon successfully gaining a place so that we can introduce ourselves.

Children will be given homework weekly across the school and can include; letter formation, reading, spellings, times tables.

Unfortunately due to COVID-19, adults have been unable to enter the school site this year and we are unsure what this will look like going forwards. We will continue to reflect and review as we begin to think about transitions for our new cohort and will always follow Government guidance and keep you informed as early as possible. 

The school uniform consists of a white polo shirt, black trousers/skirt/dress and a school logo’d jumper or cardigan. Please see our uniform page on the school website for more information. 

We send home termly newsletters via ParentMail which includes information and important dates for the year. We also use Class Dojo to share information about school events and where children and parents can upload photos of any home learning. In Reception, we use Tapestry (an online platform via an app or website) to send you photos of your child’s learning journey.

You can always contact the school office via phone/email. 

Anna Reid is our Family Liaison Officer who can be found on Facebook under ‘Anna FLO’ and you are welcome to send her a message.