Twynham Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school Leaders are ambitious for the school and have clear plans for improvement. As a result, pupils' attainment has risen consistently over the past three years and outcomes are good. Current pupils make strong progress.

Most teaching is well planned to help pupils learn well, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Disadvantaged pupils make good progress as a result of effective teaching. Leaders use pupil premium funding well to improve pupils' achievement and their personal development.

The attendance of disadvantaged pupils is also improving as a result of these actions. The teaching of writing is good. ...It is ensuring that pupils improve their writing across the curriculum and consistently apply grammatical skills.

Similarly, pupils make strong progress in reading. In mathematics, pupils have a good understanding of how to calculate accurately. However, their problem-solving and reasoning skills are not as well developed throughout the school.

This is particularly the case for girls. At times, teaching does not provide the most able pupils with sufficient challenge. This includes pupils in the Reception year.

Consequently, some of these pupils are not achieving the outcomes of which they are capable. Leaders have devised a curriculum to meet the needs of the pupils as the school grows. They regularly review the curriculum to check that it provides pupils with the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to make good progress.

The provision in the early years is strong. Leaders and teachers have a clear and accurate understanding of how young children learn. Teaching provides varied activities which allow children to develop well.

Phonics teaching is a strength of the school, particularly in Reception. This provides a strong foundation for future learning. Pupils have positive attitudes and apply themselves diligently to their work.

They are polite and enjoy all that the school has to offer. The attendance of all pupils is improving due to the successful work of leaders and staff. Rates of persistent absences are declining.

Leaders' monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning sometimes lacks precision. As a result, leaders have not identified some key areas for improvement, such as developing teachers' ability to identify and correct pupils' misconceptions. The trust is taking steps to improve the local governing board's capacity to hold leaders rigorously to account.

Information about this school

Twynham Primary School was founded as a Free School in 2015. It became part of the Twynham Multi-Academy Trust in 2016. The trust has a board of trustees, a chief executive officer (CEO) and a director of standards, who work with the school.

The school initially opened with pupils in Reception, Year 1 and 2. It has grown year-on-year and the oldest pupils are now in year 5. The school recently moved into purpose-built premises in September 2018, having previously been temporarily housed on Twynham Secondary School site.

The proportion of pupils who are in receipt of the pupil premium is well below the national average. The proportion of pupils with SEND is below the national average. The number of pupils who have education, health and care plans is well below the national average.