WITH 21 classes, a nursery and two specialist units, there’s never a dull moment at Malmesbury Park Primary School.

Recently refurbished, the school has a welcoming atmosphere with confident pupils, proud to show off their smart new school uniforms.

The children appear immensely proud of their school and are quick to point out the inclusive nature of the school community.

They are not concerned that a total of 38 different languages are spoken by the pupils, 40 per cent of whom speak English as an additional language.

Neither is the headteacher, Jackie Green, who has put in place measures to integrate the children into the school community without affecting the learning of others.

Those with low English language skills spend six weeks in specialist classes before joining their permanent classmates throughout the school. By then, all can manage conversational English and are ready to learn alongside other pupils.

There are three classes in each year group and a total of 708 children.

The school is on a relatively small site in Lowther Road in Charminster, meaning it cannot expand further despite the pressure on primary school places in Bournemouth.

Three-year-olds attend the nursery and there are two other units used by schools across the borough of Bournemouth and beyond.

Eight pupils attend the Riggs Unit, for children with social and communication disorders, and there are 16 pupils of nursery age in Small Talk, which deals with those who have speech and language disorders.

Pupils at the school have access to a wide range of activities and |particular attention is paid to music and art.

Youngsters attend their first residential trip to Swanage in Year 2, followed by an overnight trip to London in Year 4 and a week-long trip to Paris in Year 6.

When they leave the school, they head to a variety of secondary schools in Bournemouth with some moving on to Poole or Dorset.

Mrs Green has recently joined forces with five other primary schools to form Collaboration First.

She will share ideas with senior leaders from Hill View, Corpus Christi, Pokesdown, St James and Queen’s Park infant schools.

She said: “The children and families are amazing, they are fun, lively and curious and they are very proud of their school.

“The staff are incredibly hard working and always go above and beyond for the children.”

FACTFILE:
Malmesbury Park Primary School, Lowther Road, Bournemouth BH8 8LU
Telephone: 01202 291227
Email: malmesburypark@bournemouth.gov.uk
Mixed
Age range: 3-11
Number of pupils: 708
OFSTED:
Latest report carried out in March 2013

Overall rating: Requires improvement
Inspectors said: “Senior leaders demonstrate very effective teamwork. There has been significant improvement to the amount of good teaching. The school has a very caring environment in which pupils feel safe and where they can settle to their learning. Behaviour is good.”