Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School Blandford Road, Hamworthy, Poole, Dorset BH15 4AX

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 January 2025

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Outcome

Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Susannah Hill. This school is part of the Hamwic Education Trust (HET), which means other people in the trust have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Robert Farmer, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Gary Plummer.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Twin Sails Nursery and Infant School’s mantra of ‘every child, every day, every possibility’ is at the heart of its work. Pupils flourish because of the strong relationships and support they receive from staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations. Pupils show positive attitudes to their learning, work hard and achieve well. Staff make careful checks to find out the knowledge pupils remember. This helps the school to adapt the curriculum to build on what pupils know and can do.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn the behaviours expected of them quickly. These high expectations start in Nursery where staff teach children to be kind and respectful, which are two of the school’s rules. There is a calm and purposeful environment for pupils to learn. Staff respond calmly and sensitively when pupils struggle with their emotions. This enables them to re-engage with their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school carefully considers the provision for pupils’ personal development. Pupils take delight in the opportunities on offer, which include visits to the harbour and Poole Quay. Such activities increase pupils’ awareness of the area in which they live.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides significant pastoral support to pupils and their families. Parents 28 and 29 January 2025

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express their appreciation for the school and the support it provides. Parents typically comment that staff are ‘caring, kind and nurturing’.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum that excites and motivates pupils to learn and achieve well. The key knowledge and vocabulary pupils need to know and remember across all subjects has been identified. For example, in history, pupils were eager to explain why the Titanic sank and why so many lives were lost. However, the school recognises that more work is needed to ensure pupils can make connections across the subjects they study. This sometimes limits the depth of knowledge pupils gain.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Children in the Nursery get off to a flying start. They learn how to socialise and share. The development of children’s speech and use of vocabulary is a high priority. Children demonstrate their growing vocabulary through well-considered activities, which include stories, construction and art. Learning in the early years provides children with a firm foundation on which to build. Children learn how to cooperate as well as how to work independently. They start to build their early reading, writing and mathematical knowledge. For example, they were learning the importance of capital letters and full stops in their writing. Children rapidly learn the behaviours expected of them. This means that they are well prepared for Year 1.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school wants every pupil to learn to read as quickly as possible. Children begin learning phonics as soon as they start school. The school ensures that books precisely match the children’s phonics knowledge. Where children might be at risk of slipping behind, additional support is put in place to help them keep up with their classmates. Pupils develop into confident and fluent readers, which prepares them well for key stage 2.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Systems are in place to accurately identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) quickly. The school works closely with other agencies such as outreach teams and speech and language therapists to ensure pupils with SEND receive the right support. Adaptations are in place to enable pupils with SEND to access the same learning as their peers, which includes pre-teaching before a lesson. This enables pupils to gain confidence and develop a broad body of knowledge. As a result, pupils with SEND learn the curriculum well.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils are enthusiastic about the roles and responsibilities on offer, for example playground pals, ‘Whizz Kids’ and eco-warriors. Pupils have a voice in the school community through the school council and are a force for driving change, for example through their work to secure new playground equipment. These and other activities help develop leadership and organisational skills while fostering independence.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school is proactive in finding what children and families need and how best to provide it. The school promotes positive mental health across the community and offers effective support and guidance to those who need it.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Governors hold the school firmly to account for the quality of education and care pupils 28 and 29 January 2025

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receive. Staff appreciate the support of school leaders and the trust. They welcome the consideration of workload and steps taken to ensure this is manageable. Staff are extremely proud to work at the school and consider it a ‘privilege’ to work with its ‘incredible children’.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils are not yet able to make links between their learning across the subjects they study. This can hinder the depth of their learning. The trust needs to ensure pupils can connect their knowledge across subjects more securely.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in June 2015.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection. 28 and 29 January 2025

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The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 28 and 29 January 2025

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School details

Local authority Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole

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School details

Appropriate authority The Board of trustees

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School details

Headteacher Susannah Hill (Executive Headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection 23 May 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is federated with Hamworthy Primary School and shares the same site.  Since becoming an academy in 2016, the school is part of HET.  The school does not currently use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, heard pupils read, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector met with the executive headteacher, the head of schools, the deputy 28 and 29 January 2025

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headteacher, senior leaders and staff.  The inspector met with a director of education from the trust.  The inspector met with governors and the chair of trustees.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector considered key documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation and the school development plan.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. She met with school leaders to discuss and review how they respond to behaviour incidents and pupils’ attendance.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils. She considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Jen Southall, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 28 and 29 January 2025

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achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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