Palmerston Primary School is a highly inclusive and nurturing environment that provides a high level of support to its families and community. The headteacher is fully committed to the values of the school and works positively with staff and pupils to develop warm and caring working relationships. As a result, many pupils feel safe in school, and families feel well supported. Teachers, including those in the school’s resource base, support the pupils’ wide-ranging needs extremely well. Many teachers provide bespoke opportunities for them to engage in real-life experiences that support them to develop their skills. Many pupils engage well in lessons. The school provides a broad and balanced curriculum, which includes a suitable range of activities that develop pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills. Many pupils’ digital skills are particularly strong, and they apply these skills well in a wide range of contexts. Overall, pupils are beginning to develop their confidence in speaking Welsh. In the most effective lessons, teachers plan to support pupils to progress well. As a result, many pupils, including those who are vulnerable and those with additional learning needs (ALN), make at least the expected progress during their time in school. However, the quality of teaching across the school is inconsistent. In a minority of lessons there is a tendency for adults to direct the learning too rigidly. As a result, a few pupils are not always sufficiently challenged, and there are too few opportunities for pupils to apply their skills independently across the wider curriculum. Leaders evaluate the impact of the school’s work well and have a good awareness of strengths and areas for development. Supporting the well-being of pupils, staff and parents is a high priority. Despite several recent changes in teaching staff, the school has strong, trusting relationships with its community. Families are very appreciative of the opportunities they receive to develop their knowledge and skills and make links with a wide variety of agencies. This is a notable strength of the school. Leaders and governors allocate considerable resources to meet the high levels of need of pupils with ALN. However, they do not have robust enough arrangements in place to manage the school’s resources. The school monitors pupils’ attendance diligently. However, despite the school’s considerable efforts, rates of attendance remain too low.