The headteacher at Oldcastle Primary School knows the school well and provides effective leadership. The dedicated staff support her ably, and together they work successfully as a team. The school is inclusive, welcoming, and a happy learning environment, with pupils’ well-being at its heart. Pupils enjoy attending school and are very proud to be part of its community. They feel safe at school and know whom to approach if they feel worried. The caring nature of the staff and the respect with which pupils treat each other, staff and visitors are strong features of the school. Most pupils behave well. They develop the confidence and skills to express themselves articulately and develop empathy and aspiration. Pupils develop positive attitudes to reading and a broad range reading of skills, which they use successfully to support their learning. They enjoy the many opportunities to develop physically, to be expressive and creative. Overall, pupils develop good mathematical skills and knowledge, and they write purposefully in different contexts. However, teachers do not provide enough opportunities for them to develop their writing skills independently. The school’s curriculum provides pupils with beneficial opportunities to learn about their community and diversity. For example, older pupils learn about the Windrush era and compose raps on the theme of eliminating discrimination. Most pupils engage positively with the purposeful range of learning experiences provided and make good progress in their learning. This includes pupils affected by socioeconomic disadvantage and those with additional learning needs (ALN). Teachers in the youngest classes plan effective use of the indoor and outdoor learning environment to enable pupils to investigate and practice their skills. However, in general, teachers across the school tend to over-direct pupils’ learning. The headteacher works diligently with staff and governors to plan school improvement. The school uses a range of appropriate monitoring and evaluation processes. However, improvement priorities do not always focus well enough on the most important areas of the school’s work, for example aspects of teaching. The school has established highly successful partnerships with parents through regular engagement activities, which supports the whole family.