SCHOOL PROFILE

Dartford Science & Technology College

Secondary Foundation school URN 118785
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 950 Published school capacity
Capacity used 90.2% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest inspection

21 April 2026
Latest published outcome Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Strong standard
Curriculum & teaching Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Attendance & behaviour Expected standard
Personal development Expected standard
Leadership & governance Expected standard
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

16 March 2022
Ungraded inspection School remains Good
Published 11 May 2022
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Foundation school
Phase Secondary
Gender Girls
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Kent
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 857 857 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 852 99.4% of pupils
Male pupils 5 0.6% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

21.4%
3.4 pts below England
School 21.4%
Dartford 21.2%
South East 19.0%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

14.7%
5.6 pts below England
School 14.7%
Dartford 24.8%
South East 15.6%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.2%
0.8 pts below England
School 0.2%
Dartford 1.9%
South East 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
60.8%
521
African
7.2%
62
Any other White background
7.0%
60
Indian
4.3%
37
Any other Mixed background
3.6%
31
Any other Asian background
3.5%
30
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 17.7% 152 of 857 pupils
3.1 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 17.7%
Dartford 14.8%
South East 21.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 14.7% 126 pupils
England 14.8% 0.1 pts below
EHC plans 3.0% 26 pupils
England 6.0% 3.0 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 43
Specific learning difficulty 37
Autistic spectrum disorder 28
Speech, language & communication 12
Moderate learning difficulty 6
Other difficulty or disability 6

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

49.1 9.9 pts above England
School 49.1
Dartford 49.4
South East 38.5
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 54.5% England 36.0% 18.5 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 71.7% England 51.4% 20.3 pts above England
EBacc entry 17.9% England 30.6% 12.7 pts below England
EBacc average point score 4.11 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.04 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

8.39%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

2.17 pts higher than England
School 8.39%
Dartford 6.22%
South East 6.30%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

24.52%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

8.70 pts higher than England
School 24.52%
Dartford 16.23%
South East 15.75%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

4.77%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

2.97 pts higher than England
School 4.77%
Dartford 1.85%
South East 1.93%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

90.2% 2.1 pts below England
Dartford Science & Technology College
90.2%
Dartford
96.8%
South East
95.0%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information