Twycross House Pre-Preparatory School

Inspection of Twycross House Pre- Preparatory School The Hollies, The Green, Twycross, Atherstone, Warwickshire CV9 3PQ

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Inspection dates: 23 to 25 September 2025

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

At Twycross House Pre-Preparatory School, staff nurture and care for each individual, helping pupils to settle into school routines with ease. The school supports pupils to foster a love of learning and build a strong self-belief. Pupils embrace a wide range of opportunities, including horse riding, chess, playing musical instruments and swimming.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Each day, staff greet pupils warmly. This helps pupils begin the day with a positive mindset and makes them happy. Staff get to know each pupil’s strengths and interests. Pupils respond positively to gentle reminders about conduct. They feel safe and trust adults to support them in both learning and play. There is a strong sense of belonging and community at the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils make full use of the school’s extensive grounds. It enriches their opportunities for outdoor learning and play. Activities like bird watching in the hut, teddy bear picnics and treasure hunts in the school’s forest spark curiosity and joy. Children dive into these experiences with enthusiasm, embracing every opportunity to learn and explore.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school sets high expectations for pupils’ achievement. Pupils generally achieve success across a range of subjects. This equips them well as they move into the next stage of their education.

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better?

The proprietor and staff share a strong moral purpose. They work with dedication to make a meaningful impact on pupils’ lives. They are determined to help every pupil succeed, and this drives their commitment to providing a high-quality education in a place where pupils flourish.

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better?

The school’s curriculum follows a clear sequence, with much of it designed thoughtfully to prepare pupils for their next stage in education. A range of specialist staff teach subjects, such as music, French and computing. In these subjects, pupils build their knowledge in a logical way. Staff in other curriculum areas have reshaped the curriculum, ensuring that it prepares pupils effectively for future learning. However, from time to time, the tasks pupils complete do not fully match the intended curriculum. Sometimes, tasks require pupils to apply knowledge that they have not secured sufficiently well. This disrupts the logical flow of learning, making it harder for pupils to build firm foundations of knowledge.

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better?

Pupils enjoy reading and take pleasure in revisiting their favourite stories. The school’s phonics programme supports pupils to read with fluency. Those who are at risk of falling behind are given dedicated time to rehearse and revisit key aspects of reading. This has a positive impact over time. However, the school does not have a close enough oversight of how reading is taught across all year groups. This inhibits 23 to 25 September 2025 the school’s understanding of which pupils are falling behind and why, and which pupils would benefit from targeted support.

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better?

The school has recently introduced new systems to identify and support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff take time to understand the challenges that these pupils face. Staff provide tailored support and adapt learning accordingly. These adjustments help pupils with SEND learn alongside their peers and make meaningful progress through the curriculum.

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better?

Staff in the early years recognise that some children need additional support to develop their personal, social and emotional skills, as well as their communication and language. The school has adapted the curriculum and the learning environment carefully to ensure that the foundations of child development are fully considered. For example, the introduction of the ‘Discovery Room’ provides children with rich opportunities to learn through structured play. This encourages children to use what they have learned in ways that deepen their understanding.

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better?

Strong, warm and positive relationships permeate the school. Generally, pupils stay focused during lessons and approach their learning with a positive attitude. Almost all pupils attend school well. Instances of absence are rare.

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better?

Pupils learn the importance of treating everyone with respect. They understand that families can differ in many ways. They are taught key steps to staying safe online and benefit from the school’s strong focus on well-being. Yoga lessons help pupils to understand how to stay physically healthy. The school’s extensive grounds inspire a sense of awe and wonder, enriching both learning and play through a variety of outdoor experiences. Pupils learn about other communities and develop an understanding of the importance of compassion, charity and empathy.

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better?

The proprietor has the skills and expertise needed to fulfil their statutory duties. They have ensured that the independent school standards (the standards) are consistently met, including compliance with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. Pupils benefit from a range of secure, well-resourced spaces, both inside and out. They are well supervised throughout the school day with high staff ratios. The proprietor has systems to hold the school to account for the quality of education it provides. However, some of these systems lack the precision required to capture fully the impact of the curriculum on pupils’ learning and on staff training needs.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Sometimes, pupils complete work that does not help them to achieve the aims and ambitions of the curriculum. When this happens, tasks do not align closely to 23 to 25 September 2025 pupils’ knowledge or stages of development. This prevents pupils from learning as well as they could. The proprietor should ensure that staff are supported to provide pupils with activities that deepen their knowledge and better prepares them for future learning.  The proprietor does not have a full understanding of what is working well and what needs further development in the school, including the professional development staff require to deliver the curriculum as intended. This limits how effectively gaps in pupils’ knowledge and skills are identified and resolved. The proprietor should strengthen accountability systems, so that it has a clear understanding of the impact of the curriculum on pupils’ learning and any

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school. 23 to 25 September 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 120336 DfE registration number 855/6014

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School details

Inspection number 10391715 Type of school Other independent school

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School details

Headteacher Steven Assinder and Roxanne Assinder (Co-headteachers) Annual fees (day pupils) £14,460

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School details

Email address thehollies@twycrosshouseschool.org.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 4 to 6 October 2022 23 to 25 September 2025

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Information about this school

 Twycross House Pre-Preparatory School is located at Main Road, Twycross, Atherstone CV9 3PQ.  The school applies a selective admissions criterion.  The school has an exemption from the learning and development requirements of the early years foundation stage.  One of the co-headteachers, who is also the joint proprietor, was absent from school at the time of the inspection.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The school’s previous standard inspection took place on 4 to 6 October 2022.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors carried out this inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008. The purpose of the inspection is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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Information about this inspection

The school meets the independent school standards. These are the requirements set out in the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the deputy headteacher and the joint proprietor, as well as other school leaders. The school’s educational consultant was also present during some of the discussions.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, art and design, history, geography and music. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of

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Information about this inspection

lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. They also sampled the school’s curriculum for science and religious education.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s surveys for parents and carers, pupils and staff. 23 to 25 September 2025  The lead inspector toured the school site to check compliance against the standards.  Inspectors reviewed a range of other documents and policies, including the school’s website.

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Inspection team

Shaheen Hussain, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mark Anderson His Majesty’s Inspector 23 to 25 September 2025 to 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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