Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School, Poole
Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 7 in Poole, part of Hamwic Education Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. It was 87% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School in detail
Getting a place at Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School
For September 2026 entry, 81 families put Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School as their first choice and 125 named it as one of their preferences, for 85 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School are Hamworthy Park Junior School (0.2 miles, Good, 72% reading, 65% maths); Old Town Infant School and Nursery (1.1 miles, Good); Bayside Academy (1.3 miles, Good, 67% reading, 87% maths); and Oakdale Junior School (1.5 miles, Good, 68% reading, 66% maths).
Hamworthy Park Junior SchoolOld Town Infant School and NurseryBayside AcademyOakdale Junior School
The trust
Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School is one of 37 schools run by Hamwic Education Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 57% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
59 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School (as of September 2025): 97% would recommend the school, 98% say their child is happy there and 86% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (98%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (86%).
Who goes there
In 2026, 27 pupils (8.4%) received SEN support and 14 (4.4%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Staffing
Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School had 26 teachers in 2026, one for every 12 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Hamworthy Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Ashmore Crescent (s-bound), 130 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School issued 22 suspensions, 6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School are The Cornerstone Academy (0.1 miles) and Poole High School (1.2 miles).
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from June 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school excels at building strong, caring relationships with every child and their family. Staff have high expectations and provide excellent support, helping pupils work hard and achieve well. The early years provision is particularly strong, giving children a flying start with a focus on speech, vocabulary and social skills that prepares them perfectly for Year 1.
Key Strengths
- Strong relationships between staff and pupils, with caring and nurturing approach that parents appreciate
- Ambitious curriculum designed to excite and motivate learners, with careful identification of key knowledge
- Highly effective phonics teaching ensuring pupils develop into confident and fluent readers
- Quick and accurate identification of pupils with SEND, with well-coordinated support from external agencies
- Clear behaviour expectations established from Nursery, creating a calm and purposeful learning environment
Areas for Improvement
- Pupils need more opportunities to make connections between learning across different subjects to deepen their knowledge
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with strong leadership focus on keeping pupils' interests first and an open, positive culture around safeguarding.
Extracurricular Activities
Playground pals, Whizz Kids, eco-warriors, school council, visits to harbour and Poole Quay
Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School has maintained good standards following its previous inspection. The school is built on the mantra 'every child, every day, every possibility' and provides strong relationships, support, and high expectations for all pupils.
At a Glance
17.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
59 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
22.9
Avg class size
23.6
Infant (KS1)
14
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School.
- Casa Camp220m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Ferry Terminals
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School is in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole; for families living there:
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole's school travel policy: Home to school transport policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 23
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 23 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 18 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is 24 (the median across 117 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School
Will you get a place at Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School.
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School for 2017 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
87%
Available places
313 pupils
360 places
47 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Poole
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Poole
Across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council
Places available
3,809
Applications
3,148
Got 1st preference
92.2%
Got preferred school
99.3%
All primary applications across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
27
SEN Support
14
EHC Plans
12.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
320
Total Pupils
160
Boys
160
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
26
Teachers
12.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,703
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,032
Per pupil
£1817k
Total funding
£68k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.7%
Overall absence
7.5%
Persistent absence
214
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School
Questions parents ask about Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School
What is Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?
Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School?
No fixed boundary. When Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School is oversubscribed, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School?
Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School was not full in 2025: it ran at 87% of its 360 places.
How big are the classes at Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School?
Classes at Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School average 22.9 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School?
Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School has around 320 pupils on roll. 18% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School?
4.7% of sessions were missed at Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School in 2024/25. 7.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School?
Apply through Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole's coordinated admissions process, naming Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School: Casa Camp (220m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 23 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 18 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is 24 (the median across 117 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School?
Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School is at Blandford Road, Hamworthy, Poole, Dorset, BH15 4AX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)