Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School: Nursery Review

Learning to share and finding words to express an idea give Twin Sails nursery its character. Speech development sits alongside learning to play with others, making this provision about social confidence as well as the beginnings of classroom learning.

Children can join after their third birthday. The nursery belongs to Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School in Hamworthy, Poole, within the Hamworthy Primary Federation. Families can choose a morning, afternoon or six-hour funded day, depending on their entitlement.

Stories, art and construction give children reasons to talk. In January 2025, Ofsted identified vocabulary development as a nursery priority, with these activities helping children put new words to use. The practical implication is clear: language learning happens through things children do, rather than being confined to a separate speaking activity.

Sharing is part of the learning too. Children practise playing together, while early years learning also develops their ability to tackle tasks independently. Reading, number knowledge and early writing sit alongside these social skills. This gives the day a balance between learning with other children and beginning to manage an activity for oneself.

The school's named learning behaviours are the 5Rs. It aims to help children become resourceful and reflective, take responsibility, develop resilience and learn reciprocally with others. For parents, these describe the habits the school wants children to build alongside knowledge: persisting with a challenge and thinking about how they learn.

Kindness and respect are taught from nursery onwards. In January 2025, children were learning both how to share and how to socialise. These are useful foundations for a child beginning group care, where managing relationships is part of the daily experience.

Support extends beyond the nursery team. Across the federation, the Pastoral Team includes Trauma Informed Practitioners, with individual therapeutic work and group support focused on emotional needs. A teacher or carer can refer a child. Families can also receive parenting support and help involving Early Help, giving them a route to discuss difficulties at home that affect their child.

For concerns about development or learning, parents can contact the class teacher or Inclusion Team through the main office. Teachers, the SENDCo and Inclusion Team also help families access support. The school aims to identify additional needs early and works with outside agencies.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal school admissions process; choosing nursery should therefore be treated separately from securing the next school place.

For the September 2026 intake, the Reception application deadline was 15 January 2026, with BCP School Admissions the admissions contact. That deadline belongs to a past application cycle. The practical distinction remains important: the nursery application goes to the School Office, while Reception requires its own application.

The funded morning runs from 8.30am to 11.30am; the afternoon runs from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. Each is a 15-hour weekly pattern. Eligible families can instead use 30 funded hours, with a continuous day from 8.30am to 2.30pm. This avoids a break in the middle of the funded day.

An additional hour can extend that day to 3.30pm for a charge. Children using 15 funded hours can also stay for lunch after the morning session or come before the afternoon session, with a charge for the extra time. Extra morning or afternoon sessions depend on availability. Ask the School Office for current charges; additional hours can be booked through MCAS.

Collect the nursery application form from the School Office. For travel, scooter and bicycle racks are provided around the grounds. Nursery children must be accompanied into class rather than left at the roundabout drop-off zone. The visitor car park closes to traffic between approximately 1.30pm and 3.15pm, so families collecting at 2.30pm need to plan for parking off site.