Livingstone Primary and Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Everyone thrives in this school. Right from the start of early years, there is an ethos of placing no limits on pupils' achievement and personal development.

Staff make a huge effort to include all pupils in every aspect of school life. This also extends to pupils in the specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Highly trained expert staff ensure that all pupils achieve extremely well across the subjects.

Pupils leave the school particularly well prepared for the next stage of their education and for life in modern Britain.

This is a very happy school with a strong family feel. Staff foster an atmosphe...re where everyone feels welcomed and celebrated for who they are.

They also support pupils and their families to secure regular attendance. Pupils' behaviour is exemplary. Routines and high expectations are set right from the start of the early years and maintained throughout the school.

Pupils said that they enjoy being part of an inclusive, kind and caring community. They enjoy helping each other as well as the wider community, such as in arranging charitable fundraising events. Pupils also said that they have lovely teachers and support staff who always look out for them.

This makes them feel safe and thoroughly well cared for.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has a well-established rich and ambitious curriculum. Across the subjects, leaders have thought very carefully about the precise knowledge that they want pupils to know.

Subject leaders work with a range of external colleagues and subject associations. They keep up to date with the latest educational thinking, and learn from and contribute to best practice. They also ensure that teachers and support staff have quality professional development opportunities.

Teachers are thus very well supported to gain subject-specific knowledge and teaching expertise. This is also the case with the early years curriculum. Subject and early years leaders work in unison.

They ensure that children receive the secure foundational knowledge they need to succeed in Year 1.

Inclusion is at the forefront of the school's vision. Leaders ensure that planning, resourcing and teaching take account of the range of pupils' needs.

Almost all support staff working across the school have previous experience of working with pupils in the specially resourced provision. All staff also have regular training in how to support pupils with a range of SEND needs. As a result, staff have the proficiency to seamlessly integrate pupils from the specially resourced provision into mainstream lessons.

Teachers use their expert knowledge to set well-chosen learning activities. These enable all pupils to build their knowledge and skills securely over time. Teachers ensure that pupils have opportunities to revisit their prior learning often.

This embeds key knowledge in their long-term memories. The school uses assessments skilfully for setting and reviewing targets for pupils with SEND. They also check on the progress of all pupils.

They use the information purposefully by addressing any emerging knowledge gaps and misconceptions. As a result of this high-quality work on the curriculum, all pupils, including those with SEND, achieve extremely well.

The teaching of reading has primacy.

All staff have the expertise to teach the school's phonics programme effectively. Sharply targeted support ensures that any children struggling with reading get the help that they need to catch up quickly. On year group rotations, parents and carers, or grandparents, come into school and read to children in the library one morning a week.

These well-attended 'read with me' sessions create a buzz about books and help to develop pupils' love for reading. Pupils value books, enjoy reading and become confident and fluent readers.

Right from early years, staff encourage children to 'have a go'.

They reassure children that it is okay to make mistakes. Adults even model making 'mistakes' themselves to drive home the message. This initial work sets the scene for pupils' learning later across the school, promoting their resilience and determination to succeed.

The school's work to promote pupils' personal development is top rate. Pupils enjoy a comprehensive programme of planned educational visits. For example, every year group visits a different place of worship, covering the six major faiths practised in the United Kingdom.

Year 4 pupils have a camp night, Year 5 pupils spend a day in France and Year 6 pupils spend a week on the Isle of Wight to develop their social and teamwork skills. Pastoral care is extensive and helps to address a range of pupils' needs. Examples include support for mental health and building social skills, such as how to read people's body language.

Pupils are taught about how to form healthy relationships and the concept of consent. Year 6 physical education (PE) pupil counsellors get involved in promoting healthy lifestyles. For example, they have organised an afternoon of healthy activities for Year 2 pupils from another school.

Extra-curricular PE provision is very inclusive. For example, the school hosts an annual event for the borough. This provides the opportunity for every pupil who has not represented their own school to take part in competitive sporting activities.

Staff love working at this school. They feel highly valued and are invested in all that the school stands for. Leaders are approachable and support staff's well-being and career development.

As a result, staff retention is exceptionally high.

Work with the wider community and parents is extensive. For example, every class has a parent representative plus a parent 'champion'.

They support other parents both on social and educational matters. The early years nursery specialist assessment provision, commissioned by the local authority, ensures that the most vulnerable children get the earliest possible support to help them on their life's journey.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.