Talbot Primary School

Talbot Primary School is a large, proudly inclusive primary school that is performing well overall. Inspectors found that pupils are calm, considerate and respectful, attendance is improving and above the national average, and the school has a strong culture of safeguarding. Leaders have a deep understanding of pupils' needs and disadvantaged pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, benefit from precisely targeted support. Personal development and wellbeing provision is comprehensive, with a wide range of opportunities and pastoral support preparing pupils for life beyond school. As a result, the school was judged to be at 'strong standard' for attendance and behaviour, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing, with safeguarding standards met.

Strengths

• Leaders are relentless in ensuring every pupil has good attendance, which is higher than the national average
• Pupils are calm, considerate and respectful, and behaviour is managed consistently and fairly
• The school is proudly inclusive, with additional needs identified precisely and adjustments made effectively
• Disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND receive highly targeted support, leading to strong outcomes in phonics and mathematics
• Leadership and governance are highly effective, with rigorous oversight and a strong focus on staff wellbeing
• Personal development and wellbeing provision is comprehensive, including mental health support, leadership roles and a wide range of trips and activities
• The curriculum is well designed and builds knowledge securely over time, with typically high-quality teaching
• Early years children behave well, concentrate on learning and are well prepared for Year 1
• Pupils are proud of their school, feel safe and well cared for, and value the diversity in their community
• Staff are a united team who appreciate professional learning opportunities and leaders' consideration for their workload

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils are not consistently applying their foundational writing skills, such as spelling and punctuation, across the wider curriculum
• Some children who arrive with lower levels of communication and language are not provided with sufficient opportunities to practise their speaking and listening

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Talbot Primary School attended 95.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.5% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.1% of pupils at Talbot Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Talbot Primary School had 21.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.4% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 15.0% of pupils at Talbot Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Talbot Primary School received £6,672 and spent £6,654 for each of its 570 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £338,000 (£592 per pupil).

Across all 36 schools of Hamwic Education Trust, income was £7,058 and spending £7,015 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Poole · Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole local authority: places and applications

Talbot Primary School is part of Hamwic Education Trust, which runs 36 schools. The nearest others:

• Bishop Aldhelm's Church of England Primary School Poole
• Livingstone Road Junior School Poole
• Livingstone Road Infant School Poole
• Bearwood Primary and Nursery School Bournemouth
• Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First School Wimborne
• Hillbourne Primary School Poole
• Springdale First School Broadstone
• Hamworthy Park Junior School Poole
• Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School Poole
• Henbury View First School Wimborne

What is Talbot Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Talbot Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Talbot Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Talbot Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Talbot Primary School have?

Talbot Primary School has 547 pupils on roll.

What age range does Talbot Primary School cover?

Talbot Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Talbot Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 64% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Talbot Primary School?

Talbot Primary School is at Talbot Drive, Wallisdown, Poole, Dorset, BH12 5ED.