Van Gogh Primary School in Stockwell, London has a complex history; forced to close its doors in 2018 due to a concerning Ofsted inspection.
Nadine Bernard became headteacher of the newly reopened school, and brought with her the nurture ethos. The results were remarkable, and when we visited most recently in 2025 we stepped into a happy, calm, inclusive primary school where pupils told us they felt like they belong.
Our visit to Van Gogh Primary School, South London
Their nurture journey
The impact of introducing a nurturing approach in this school and community has been huge. Previously, challenging behaviour was rife. There was shouting, stealing, spitting. Children were consistently out of classrooms, running in the corridors, and not engaged in their learning. Staff faced a broken community.
Through the introduction of nurture, all staff were trained in relational approaches. The Behaviour Policy was rewritten to reflect this, and renamed a Relationships and Behaviour Policy. The Boxall Profile® was implemented in order to identify the pupils that needed additional support with their social and emotional health, and strategies were put in place to help them. Because the school recognised that children cannot learn until they are safe and happy.
Van Gogh Primary is now an inclusive school that caters to all their pupils' diverse needs. And they have seen this reflected in their attendance and attainment levels, behavioural incidents, and overall feel of their school environment.
“My children are very excited to go to school – they are happy.”
- Parent
“We want children to feel confident in who they are.”
- Staff member
“We are like a family at this school, with multiple adults and multiple children.”
- Child, featured in Ofsted report
Van Gogh Primary School joined our Nurturing London programme in 2020, commissioned and funded by London's Violence Reduction Unit.