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Photo of Jodie Clark, EYFS Lead at Dartford Primary Academy.

Welcome from the EYFS Lead

Jodie Clark

Thank you for considering Dartford Primary for your child. On this website you will find information about our school, staff, facilities, and application process. After reading this site, should you have any queries please feel free to contact our school office via office@dartfordprimary.org.uk.  

At Dartford Primary Academy, we recognise how important early education is for our youngest learners. Our qualified staff spend time building relationships with children and families to ensure everyone feels valued and secure, as we believe children learn best when they feel safe and happy in their environment.

Our classrooms have a range of learning opportunities and, following the IB Primary Years Program alongside the Early Years Foundation Stage, we foster an inquisitive and engaging space that follows children’s interests and encourages them to be curious about the world around them. We encourage our children to think, make choices and become independent learners, challenging them to extend their learning. In Reception, the children learn to realise they are part of a wider school community and they grow in confidence as they become global citizens.

We believe that secure relationships are the key to unlocking potential and enabling our children to thrive – by offering a balance of adult directed and child initiated activity, we are able to scaffold learning and support children to challenge themselves within a familiar environment. Our learning spaces are planned and resourced to encourage early literacy, numeracy, creativity and physical development and we encourage collaborative play to support children in building positive relationships with their peers.

Emotional development and wellbeing are a priority at Dartford Primary Academy and our learning environments encourage children to talk openly about feelings and relationships. The bonds that we make with the children enable us to support them in becoming confident, resilient and to persevere through challenges they may encounter along the way.

Outside play is vital for children’s physical development and we are fortunate to have a large outdoor space where children are able to keep active, explore new possibilities and discover more about the world around them. Children are able to access this area multiple times through the school day and this space provides an abundance of opportunities such as; learning about nature, water play, large construction, physical development and imaginative play.

Our Reception classes offer a great start to your child’s formal education and we have happy, confident children moving into key stage one. We look forward to welcoming you and your child to Dartford Primary Academy.

Jodie Clark | EYFS Lead