The Gateway Primary Academy, Dartford
The Gateway Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Dartford. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2012. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2022 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 5th-highest of the 25 schools in Dartford with published results, and 1,534th of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2012)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Kent (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
The Gateway Primary Academy in detail
The Gateway Primary Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "I am proud and privileged to be the Headteacher of The Gateway Primary Academy; a one form entry primary school nestled between Bluewater shopping centre and Dartford town centre. At The Gateway, we develop happy, confident and secure children in a calm, nurturing, stimulating and creative environment."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include drama and STEM.
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:45am.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 93% of Year 6 pupils at The Gateway Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 87% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 73% in Kent and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 97% in reading and 93% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at The Gateway Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 31 families put The Gateway Primary Academy as their first choice and 128 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is slightly more first choices than places. 2 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at The Gateway Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to The Gateway Primary Academy are The Brent Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 74% reading, 74% maths); Leigh Academy Dartford (0.6 miles, Good, 100% reading, 96% maths); St Anselm's Catholic Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 90% reading, 83% maths); and Fleetdown Primary Academy (0.7 miles, 84% reading, 75% maths).
The Gateway Primary Academy's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
The Brent Primary SchoolLeigh Academy DartfordSt Anselm's Catholic Primary SchoolFleetdown Primary Academy
Who goes there
15.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 33.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (44%), Black (26%) and Asian (11%).
Staffing
The Gateway Primary Academy had 14 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Dartford Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Milestone Road (adjacent), 120 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 335 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Kent (101), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
The Gateway Primary Academy recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to The Gateway Primary Academy are Stone Lodge School (0.3 miles), Sir Geoffrey Leigh Academy (0.6 miles), Leigh UTC Dartford (1.4 miles) and Dartford Grammar School (1.5 miles).
Stone Lodge SchoolSir Geoffrey Leigh AcademyLeigh UTC DartfordDartford Grammar School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoThis judgement is from September 2012, 14 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its September 2012 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
15.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 97% to 93% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 93% to 87% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 90% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
30.0
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
30.0
KS2
4
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from The Gateway Primary Academy
From The Gateway Primary Academy's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with The Gateway Primary Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near The Gateway Primary Academy.
- Jacqueline's Gems @ The Brent330m away · Not yet graded
- Progressive Sports @ Dartford920m away · Not yet graded
- Progressive Sports @ St Anselm's990m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Gateway Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Gateway Primary Academy is in Kent; for families living there:
Apply to Kent for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 61
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 15
- Children hurt
- 8
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 61 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 15 serious and 46 slight.
8 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 6 in a vehicle or otherwise.
17 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Kent is 11 (the median across 711 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at The Gateway Primary Academy
Will you get a place at The Gateway Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Gateway Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Gateway Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Gateway Primary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Kent, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The Gateway Primary Academy for 2015 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Kent got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
100%
Full
210 pupils
210 places
No spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Dartford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Dartford
Across Kent council
Places available
18,893
Applications
16,593
Got 1st preference
89.7%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All primary applications across Kent council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
26
SEN Support
9
EHC Plans
16.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
210
Total Pupils
109
Boys
101
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
14
Teachers
15.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,337
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,279
Per pupil
£1218k
Total funding
£41k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.3%
Overall absence
8.2%
Persistent absence
184
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
The Gateway Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about The Gateway Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at The Gateway Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at The Gateway Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 93% reached the expected standard in reading and 87% did so in maths.
What is The Gateway Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
The Gateway Primary Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2022, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2012, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for The Gateway Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When The Gateway Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Kent allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at The Gateway Primary Academy?
The Gateway Primary Academy was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at The Gateway Primary Academy?
Classes at The Gateway Primary Academy average 30 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to The Gateway Primary Academy?
The Gateway Primary Academy has around 210 pupils on roll. 16% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Gateway Primary Academy?
4.3% of sessions were missed at The Gateway Primary Academy in 2024/25. 8.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Gateway Primary Academy?
Apply through Kent's coordinated admissions process, naming The Gateway Primary Academy on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does The Gateway Primary Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 3 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of The Gateway Primary Academy: Jacqueline's Gems @ The Brent (330m away, registered, not yet graded), Progressive Sports @ Dartford (920m away, registered, not yet graded) and Progressive Sports @ St Anselm's (990m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near The Gateway Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 61 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 15 serious and 46 slight. 8 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 6 in a vehicle or otherwise. 17 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Kent is 11 (the median across 711 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Gateway Primary Academy?
The Gateway Primary Academy is at Milestone Road, Dartford, Kent, DA2 6DW.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)