Ditton Infant School Review 2026: A small infant school where routines, reading, and relationships matter

Because this is an infant school (to age seven), it is not judged on Key Stage 2 SATs outcomes, which are taken at age eleven. That shifts the parent lens from headline data to the fundamentals that are measurable in daily practice: early reading, early number sense, language development, and the habits that help children learn in a classroom.

Official evaluation highlights a well-ordered curriculum designed to build secure foundations, with regular planned practice for core skills such as tricky words and times tables. Early reading is described as a strength overall, with systematic phonics teaching and additional support for pupils who need more practice.

A balanced view matters here. The same evaluation flags two improvement priorities that will matter to some families: increasing targeted adult reading opportunities for pupils who find reading more difficult, and sharpening the specificity of support plans so pupils with special educational needs and or disabilities consistently learn the intended curriculum knowledge alongside peers.

Teaching at infant level lives or dies on clarity and repetition, and the evidence points to consistent structures. Daily phonics is a central plank, with staff trained to teach it effectively and extra practice built in for pupils who need it. For parents, the implication is straightforward: if you want a school that takes early reading seriously, the system appears coherent and routine-led, which typically helps children build confidence quickly.

The curriculum is also designed to feel relevant to young children. The evaluation notes that learning reflects pupils’ interests while still covering important knowledge, and that teachers shape this into lessons intended to motivate pupils to know more. At Reception level, examples include outdoor learning used to build teamwork and imagination, with children acting out stories they have read with their teacher.

Beyond classroom lessons, outdoor learning is not treated as a mere treat. Forest school is referenced as a context where staff help pupils develop leadership and problem-solving skills. For many children, this kind of structured outdoor learning can be the difference between “I like school” and “I love school”, especially for pupils who regulate better with movement and practical tasks.

An infant school decision is always also a Year 3 decision. The admissions arrangements explicitly treat Ditton Infant and Ditton Junior as the same school for sibling priority, which signals an intended continuity between the two settings. The practical implication is that families often plan for a combined infant to junior journey in the local area, even though junior school admissions are still a separate process.

For Kent families, the local authority runs coordinated admissions for both Reception entry and transfer to junior school, with a junior application route alongside the Reception route. If you are considering this school, it is worth thinking early about what you want your child’s Year 3 to look like, and how travel time, siblings, and friendships will play into that next step.

The published admission number for Reception is 60, with pupils admitted into two classes at the start of the autumn term after their fourth birthday. Parents can also request deferred entry later in the school year, or part-time attendance until compulsory school age.

Oversubscription is handled through a clear priority order. After children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school, the criteria include looked-after and previously looked-after children, siblings (with Ditton Infant and Ditton Junior treated as the same school for this purpose), medical and social reasons supported by evidence, then nearness measured by straight-line distance using National Land and Property Gazetteer points. If a final place cannot be separated on criteria, a random allocation process is used with independent supervision.

Recent demand data indicates the school is oversubscribed, with 99 applications for 33 offers, which is about 3 applications per place. That makes timing and accuracy important, even before you get to distance.

For September 2026 entry, Kent’s published primary admissions timetable states that applications opened on Friday 07 November 2025 and closed at midnight on Thursday 15 January 2026. Offers were due on Thursday 16 April 2026, with accept or decline by Thursday 30 April 2026. The school also signposts appeals timing around National Offer Day, including an appeal submission deadline of Monday 18 May 2026 for hearings before Monday 20 July 2026.

Open events are a useful reality check at this age. The school’s prospective parents page shows that tours and a parent information evening have been run in November, alongside Stay and Play sessions, which suggests that November is a typical window for Reception-intake open events. For up-to-date dates, use the school’s published information and book early when slots are limited.

Parents who want a precision view of how distance might affect chances should use the FindMySchool Map Search to measure from home to school consistently, then keep an eye on how oversubscription criteria are applied year to year.

Pastoral strength at infant level is less about grand initiatives and more about consistency. Expectations are simple, repeated, and visible, and children are encouraged to see themselves as capable of meeting them. Recognition systems (Golden Book) support that culture, and the language of resilience appears in both leadership messaging and the wider school narrative.

Support for communication and inclusion is also built into staffing and space. The staff list includes speech and language support, an inclusion manager who is also the special educational needs coordinator, and a designated safeguarding lead who is the headteacher. The school also describes a dedicated speech and language resource area and a wellbeing area, which is a strong signal for families who value early identification and practical support.

Inspectors confirmed that safeguarding arrangements are effective. Day to day, the evaluation describes staff taking time to listen and resolve worries, with bullying described as extremely rare and dealt with quickly when it occurs.

At infant age, the best clubs are usually the ones that feel manageable at 3:20pm, and the school’s current club list is pitched exactly there. Named options include Art and Craft Club, Science Club, and Netball Club for Years 1 and 2, plus an Early Morning Fitness Club running before registration.

There are also structured roles that help young children practise responsibility without it feeling performative. The headteacher highlights School Council, Eco Council, and Play Leaders, which gives pupils a simple way to contribute to school life and practise speaking up. For children who grow in confidence when they are trusted with small jobs, these roles can have outsized impact.

Outdoor learning adds breadth too. Forest school is referenced as part of learning beyond the classroom, supporting leadership and problem-solving skills in a practical setting. For some families, that is as important as any after-school club, because it tells you what the school chooses to protect in the timetable.

The school day starts at 8:45am with registration at 8:50am, and finishes at 3:20pm, totalling 32.5 hours per week. Clubs shown on the school site include after-school sessions running to 4:00pm for some days, and at least one morning club starting at 8:20am. If you need regular wraparound childcare beyond those times, confirm the current offer directly, as provision can change by term.

For travel, most families will think for safe walking routes, drop-off practicality, and how the journey will work again at junior school. If you are relying on proximity for admissions priority, measure distances consistently and early.

• It is an infant school, so the data picture differs. There are no Key Stage 2 SATs headlines to compare at this stage, so you are choosing based on early reading, curriculum foundations, and pastoral culture rather than end-of-primary results.

• Reading catch-up capacity matters for some pupils. Official evaluation identifies a need to increase targeted adult reading opportunities for pupils who find reading more difficult. If your child is likely to need extra practice, ask how often 1:1 or small group reading happens now, and how it is staffed.

• SEND planning specificity is a stated improvement area. The same evaluation flags that support plans are not always specific enough, which can affect how consistently work is adapted. Families with known needs should discuss how targets are set, reviewed, and translated into daily classroom practice.

• Admission is competitive. Recent demand data indicates around three applications per place, and the oversubscription criteria eventually come down to distance for many families. Planning early is not optional here.

This is a small, structured infant school with a clear culture and a strong focus on the early building blocks that matter most at four to seven. Behaviour expectations are simple and consistent, early reading is treated as a core discipline, and outdoor learning is used to build practical skills alongside classroom learning.

Who it suits: families who want a calm, routines-led start to school, who value early reading and clear behaviour expectations, and who are comfortable planning ahead for the Year 3 move to junior provision. The primary challenge is admission competitiveness rather than what happens once a place is secured.