Livingstone Primary School

School overview

Livingstone Primary School is a primary school serving Bedford, classified by the DfE as a foundation school. It has 459 pupils aged 2 to 11 on roll. At its most recent graded inspection, Ofsted rated Livingstone Primary School 'Good'. In the most recent Key Stage 2 SATs, 49% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — below the national average of 61%. That is down 7.0 percentage points in the proportion reaching the expected standard on the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the lower half of primary schools nationally.

Pupils achieved an average scaled score of 104 in reading and 105 in maths (national averages are about 105 and 104). Competition for places is real here - 81% of first-choice applicants were offered a Reception place for September 2026 (69 first choices for 59 places). The council's own allocation figures show the last child offered a place for 2026 lived 0.32 miles away in a straight line — that distance is not a fixed catchment and moves each year. Overall pupil absence was 5.6%. There are about 23.8 pupils per teacher. When you visit, you might ask how the school stretches its higher-attaining pupils and supports those who need to catch up. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.