Schools & FE · Report card

Talbot Primary School

Inspected 19 May 2026 · published 11 Sept 2026 · URN 144874

Original PDF ↗

Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

Dale Burr (lead), Deborah Tregellas, Jo Hicks, Phil Minns, Rachel Hesketh, Stewart Gale

What we read, and from where

Click a reading to see it highlighted in the report.

Achievement verified
Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour verified
Strong standard
Curriculum and teaching verified
Expected standard
Early years verified
Expected standard
Inclusion verified
Strong standard
Leadership and governance verified
Strong standard
Personal development and wellbeing verified
Strong standard
Framework verified
Report card
Inspection datesingle source
19 May 2026
Inspectors verified
Dale Burr, Deborah Tregellas, Jo Hicks, Phil Minns, Rachel Hesketh, Stewart Gale
Postcode verified
BH12 5ED
Name on report verified
Talbot Primary School
Safeguarding verified
Met
URN verified
144874

Page 1 of 15

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

Join free to get a short, plain-English summary of any report.

Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

AchievementExpected
Attendance and behaviourStrong
Curriculum and teachingExpected
Early yearsExpected
InclusionStrong
Leadership and governanceStrong
Personal development and wellbeingStrong

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

+90Very positivemore positive than 90% of reports of this type

Reads more warmly than most reports of this type.

Praisepositivehigh expectationshighly effectiveenjoythriveeffectivelyeffectiverespectful

Criticismpoorconcernsstrugglelower

How the report reads, start to finish

Every paragraph in order, sized by length. Tap one to see it on the page.

FindingsSafeguardingAbout the inspectionLeadershipWhat needs to improve positive critical

Findings1603w+92
Leadership249w+85
Safeguarding51w−11
What needs to improve47w+60

Strengths

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

Concerns

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

No strong criticism found.

Next steps

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

What the report dwells on

Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.

Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages: 15
Words of findings: 1,950; about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level: Hard; Flesch 42, typical 43
Average sentence: 15 words
Next steps: 2; typical 3
Hedged sentences: 4%; “some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 53%Leadership 8%Safeguarding 2%What needs to improve 2%About the inspection 35%

Full report text

Talbot Primary School

Address: Talbot Drive, Wallisdown, Poole, Dorset, BH12 5ED Unique reference number (URN): 144874

p.1

Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

p.1

Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Leaders are relentless in their drive to ensure that every pupil has good attendance. This is because they want every pupil to succeed at school. Staff work hard to build positive relationships with pupils' families so that they can work together to overcome any barriers to regular attendance. As a result, pupils’ overall attendance has been improving for some time. It is higher than the national average.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Leaders' approach to behaviour has a clear impact on pupils, encouraging them to behave well and make a positive contribution to the school community. Pupils are calm, considerate and respectful. They work hard in lessons and take pride in their work. Pupils understand the school rules and the importance of treating everyone fairly. Staff are consistent and caring. Pupils appreciate this. Leaders are proactive and positive in their approach to supporting and improving behaviour. Their high expectations and the consequences for poor behaviour are deliberately simple so that they can be easily understood. Leaders act swiftly and appropriately if pupils' behaviour does not meet their high standards. They make sensitive adaptations to support any pupils with additional needs who struggle to manage their behaviour. Leaders and staff do not tolerate any form of unkind or discriminatory behaviour, including bullying.

p.2

Inclusion Strong standard

Talbot is a proudly inclusive school. Leaders and staff work together effectively to ensure that all pupils are ready for the next stage in their education. They quickly identify any additional needs that pupils may have with precision. Staff use this information diligently. They make any necessary adjustments in lessons to make it easier for pupils to access the curriculum.

p.2

Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders and staff pay close attention to the needs of disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders ensure that staff use proven approaches effectively to help these pupils to enjoy the school day and make progress in their learning. Close partnership with the local authority virtual school ensures that looked- after pupils receive tailored guidance and ongoing championing of their needs.

p.2

Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders rigorously monitor pupils' progress and the quality of the support they receive. They use this information to ensure that the provision in place helps pupils to overcome barriers to learning. Leaders use additional funding intelligently, such as the pupil premium grant for disadvantaged pupils. For example, they provide staff with the training they need to deliver specific packages of support for pupils. Access to clubs, specialist pastoral support and leadership roles all help disadvantaged pupils to attend, participate and thrive.

p.2

Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders, including governors, are proud of the school's work to support all pupils to succeed. They show unwavering commitment to constantly improve outcomes and life chances for pupils. Leaders have a deep and precise understanding of the needs of their pupils. They relentlessly focus their efforts on helping every pupil to thrive and achieve.

p.2

Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders keep a close eye on pupils' experiences. They continually seek ways to further improve the school’s work. For example, leaders' rigorous oversight of curriculum and teaching is helping to secure greater consistency and quality. They are quick to identify areas that could be developed. This can be seen in leaders' recent work to enhance teaching in mathematics. Although pupils achieve well in this subject, leaders identified aspects that could be even better.

p.3

Leadership and governance Strong standard

Staff are a united team. They support each other to do an effective job. Staff take pride in their work and willingly undertake additional training to strengthen their expertise. They are overwhelmingly positive about the professional learning opportunities they receive to do their roles well. Staff also appreciate leaders' consideration for their workload and wellbeing.

p.3

Leadership and governance Strong standard

Those responsible for governance are highly effective. They use a range of information to assure themselves that leaders’ actions are having the desired effect. For example, governors use pupil surveys and visits to the school to gain an unbiased view of the school’s performance. Trust leaders also have a detailed understanding of the performance of the school. They ensure that pupils are safe and well cared for.

p.3

Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils' welfare is at the heart of all that leaders do. The school has created a comprehensive package of personal development and wellbeing support with the intention of preparing every pupil for life beyond school. Pastoral support is wide ranging and available to all pupils. Regular activities help pupils to understand how to keep healthy, both mentally and physically. Additional provision is in place for groups of pupils who need extra help, such as 'mental health movement breaks'. Individual pupils receive further support, if they need it, from specially trained staff.

p.3

Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

The school's carefully designed curriculum includes purposeful opportunities for pupils to understand issues and how they apply to their own lives. For example, through assemblies, pupils develop a deep understanding of fundamental British values, including democracy, respect and tolerance. They apply this knowledge when voting for pupil leaders and by treating others as they wish to be treated. In personal, social and health education, pupils are taught to understand a range of big ideas, such as perseverance, racism and equality. Pupils have many opportunities to hold leadership positions. Roles such as serving on the eco-council, representing others on the school council or helping younger pupils to enjoy playtimes help pupils become responsible and caring citizens.

p.3

Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

There is a varied programme of opportunities, trips and activities designed to broaden pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the world. Some are for every pupil, while others provide experiences for targeted groups. For example, all pupils share their learning with parents and carers at ‘tea and cake’ events, while the 'young carers support group' enjoys an annual pantomime trip. Leaders carefully monitor pupils’ participation to ensure that all pupils benefit fully. From learning to play the clarinet to developing crochet skills, there are multiple opportunities for pupils to expand their skill set and horizons.

p.3

Achievement Expected standard

Overall, most pupils achieve well. The effective curriculum and typically high-quality teaching enable pupils to secure knowledge and skills by the time they leave the school. Published outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 reflect this. Disadvantaged pupils benefit from the precisely targeted support provided by staff. This shows in pupils' positive outcomes in the Year 1 phonics screening check and the Year 4 multiplication tables check.

p.4

Achievement Expected standard

Older pupils talk confidently about what they have learned. They use their secure knowledge to make meaningful links between different subjects, for example, when speaking about Hinduism in religion and worldviews and comparing historical events in India. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities make steady progress across the curriculum. Leaders rightly recognise the need to continue to strengthen how well pupils apply their basic writing skills, such as spelling and punctuation, across all wider curriculum subjects.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have carefully developed a curriculum that builds pupils' knowledge securely over time. They monitor it closely and make thoughtful adaptations so it continues to meet pupils' changing needs. Leaders build flexibility into the curriculum so that teachers can respond to any issues that arise. For example, the personal, social and health education curriculum includes space to address learning opportunities that arise in day-to-day school life.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Typically, reading, writing and mathematics are taught well. Younger pupils are supported effectively to secure the phonics knowledge they need to become confident readers. Across subjects, staff make sure that pupils gain the essential knowledge they need before moving on to more complex learning. The impact of teaching is often evident in how confidently pupils explain and discuss what they know. Leaders take prompt and effective action, when teaching falls short of the school’s high expectations, including placing a sharper focus on pupils' writing across the curriculum.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff have a detailed knowledge of the needs of the pupils that they work with, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They make sensitive adaptations to the curriculum to ensure that these pupils can overcome any barriers they face.

p.4

Early years Expected standard

Children enjoy their time in the early years. Clear rules and routines create a calm environment, where children quickly learn what is expected of them. As a result, they behave well and concentrate on their learning. The curriculum is designed to enable children to progress in all areas of learning. Consequently, they are typically well prepared for Year 1 by the end of the Reception Year. Staff ensure that children develop the secure foundational knowledge they need in reading, writing and mathematics. Activities are carefully planned and designed to meet children’s areas of need. For example, staff provide extra opportunities for children to strengthen the fine-motor skills required for early writing. 'Adventure learning' sessions in the afternoon are selected thoughtfully, enabling children to learn and practise knowledge, for example, through discovery and play. Children with additional needs are fully included, and staff

p.4

Early years Expected standard

skilfully adapt activities to meet their needs. As a result, children learn to focus and be independent for increasing periods of time.

p.5

Early years Expected standard

Staff have been trained to help children to develop their vocabulary and conversation skills. However, some children who arrive with lower levels of communication and language are not provided with sufficient opportunities to practise their speaking and listening. Leaders have identified this as an area for further development.

p.5