Livingstone Primary School
Clapham Road, Bedford, MK41 7LG
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Foundation school
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- The Leap Community Trust
- Headteacher
- Mr Peter Thornes
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Bedford
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 444
- Pupils on roll
- 457
- URN
- 109432
- Local authority
- Bedford
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01234352879
About this school
Livingstone Primary School is a foundation primary school in Bedford. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 457 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 50 | 52 | 49 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 42% | 56% | 49% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 50% | 71% | 67% |
| Expected standard in maths | 58% | 75% | 80% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 62% | 71% | 73% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 101.0 | 104.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 101.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.20 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Livingstone Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Bedford average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 42% | 50.7% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 56% | 53.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 49% | 52.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 426 |
| 2023/24 | 450 |
| 2024/25 | 459 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Livingstone Primary School compares
Livingstone Primary School ranked 39th of 51 primary schools in Bedford for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 20% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 49% | 5.1% | 35.5% | 457 | — |
| Edith Cavell Primary School | 58% | 5.2% | 30.8% | 292 | 0.3 miles |
| Priory Primary School | 50% | 6.1% | 25.1% | 214 | 0.4 miles |
| Great Ouse Primary Academy | 67% | 5.1% | 22.2% | 455 | 0.6 miles |
| St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School | 44% | 5.6% | 31.4% | 271 | 0.8 miles |
| Queen's Park Academy | 61% | 5.5% | 36.8% | 446 | 0.8 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 35.45%
- English as an additional language
- 48.4%
- Overall absence
- 5.14%
- Persistent absence
- 13.76%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Edith Cavell Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Priory Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Great Ouse Primary Academy0.6 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School0.8 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Queen's Park Academy0.8 miles
Primary · Bedford
Other schools in Bedford
Livingstone Primary School ranks 39th of the 53 ranked primary schools in Bedford.
- Balliol Primary School Primary
- Bedford Road Primary Academy Primary
- Brickhill Primary School Primary
- Broadmead Lower School Primary
- Bromham CofE Primary School Primary
- Camestone School Primary
- Carlton CofE Primary School Primary
- Castle Newnham School Primary
- Cauldwell School Primary
- Cotton End Forest School Primary
- Cranfield Church of England Academy Primary
- Edith Cavell Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Livingstone Primary School teach?
- Livingstone Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Bedford.
- Who is the headteacher of Livingstone Primary School?
- The headteacher of Livingstone Primary School is Mr Peter Thornes, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Livingstone Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Livingstone Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Livingstone Primary School?
- Livingstone Primary School has 457 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Livingstone Primary School full?
- Livingstone Primary School has capacity for 444 pupils and 457 on roll (103%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Livingstone Primary School a faith school?
- No. Livingstone Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Livingstone Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Livingstone Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Livingstone Primary School?
- Livingstone Primary School is part of The Leap Community Trust. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Livingstone Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 42% in 2022/23 and 49% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Livingstone Primary School rank locally?
- Livingstone Primary School ranked 39th of 51 primary schools in Bedford for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 20% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Livingstone Primary School's absence rate?
- Livingstone Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Livingstone Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Livingstone Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.