Riverside Bridge School

Special free school · All-through, ages 4 to 16 · Mixed · Sixth form

Part of PARTNERSHIP LEARNING

Renwick Road, Barking, IG11 0FU

020 3946 5809 · School website · Map and directions

OfstedGoodInspected 25 February 2020; confirmed 2025
Pupils291Room for 270 Pupil numbers in January of each year: 135 in 2019, 151 in 2021, 148 in 2022, 162 in 2023, 196 in 2024, 249 in 2025, 291 in 2026. Across England, special state school pupil numbers were up 39% from 2019 to 2025.
Free school meals36%of pupils eligible now

Ofsted inspection

Ofsted rated this school Good at the inspection that started on 25 February 2020.

This inspection used Ofsted's older format with four grades: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement and Inadequate. Newer inspections use report cards. What changed.

AreaGrade
Quality of educationGood
Behaviour and attitudesGood
Personal developmentGood
Leadership and managementGood
SafeguardingEffective

Since then, a shorter ungraded inspection on 26 March 2025: Ofsted found the school had maintained its standards.

Read the full Ofsted reports for this school

Source: Ofsted state-funded schools inspection data.

What parents say

16 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey between 3 September 2024 and 1 September 2025.

StatementThis schoolEngland
My child is happy at this school 100% 89%
My child feels safe at this school 81% 90%
The school makes sure pupils are well behaved 88% 84%
Concerns were dealt with properlyOf 14 parents who had raised a concern 93% 76%
My child with SEND gets the support they needOf 16 parents of children with SEND 94% 68%
I would recommend this school to another parent 94%said yes 84%

Parents choose whether to take part, so these answers may not represent all families (Ofsted puts the response rate at 6%). Figures are the share who agree or strongly agree. England figures are all parents answering the same questions over the same period, for state-funded schools. The scales run from lower (left) to higher (right) agreement, and the dot marks this school among state schools of the same phase that used the same survey questions. The third it falls in is coloured: green for the top third, amber the middle, red the bottom. This survey used Ofsted's previous Parent View questions, which changed in November 2025. Source: Ofsted Parent View management information.

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Results

Key stage 2 (SATs, age 11), 2024/25

15 pupils in this year group.

0% — 67 points below the Barking and Dagenham average, and 62 points below the England average.

MeasureThis schoolBarking and DagenhamEngland
Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths 0% 67% 62%
Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths 0% 8% 8%
Met the expected standard in reading 0% 79% 75%
Met the expected standard in writing 0% 75% 72%
Met the expected standard in maths 0% 79% 74%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 is the expected standard. Not published 106 106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 is the expected standard. Not published 106 105

"Not published": No figure published.

Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, over time
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% England 2022/23: 60%England 2023/24: 61%England 2024/25: 62% This school 2022/23: 0%This school 2023/24: 0%This school 2024/25: 0% This school England 62% 2022/23 0% 2023/24 0% 2024/25 0%

Source: DfE key stage 2 performance tables, 2024/25. England figures are for state-funded schools.

After Year 11

Where pupils went next. DfE measures this for pupils who finished in an earlier year, so these figures describe a previous year group.

20 pupils in this year group.

85% — 8 points below the Barking and Dagenham average, and 7 points below the England average.

MeasureThis schoolBarking and DagenhamEngland
Stayed in education, an apprenticeship or workPupils recorded in sustained education, apprenticeship or employment in the year after finishing Year 11. 85% 93% 92%
School sixth form 0% 49% 34%
Sixth form college 0% 6% 13%
Further education college 65% 35% 37%
Apprenticeship 0% 1% 3%
Work 0% 1% 3%

Stayed in education, an apprenticeship or work, over time

2023/242024/25
94%85%

Source: DfE key stage 4 destination measures, 2024/25 performance tables. England figures are for state-funded schools.

Admissions

Apply through the council where you live, even if the school is in a different council area. This school is in Barking and Dagenham. The national closing date for secondary applications is 31 October, and offers are sent on 1 March.

Admissions dates and schools in Barking and Dagenham

Pupils, staff and SEND

This is a special school for children with an education, health and care plan (EHCP). Places are arranged through the council's SEND team, not the normal admissions round. It caters for: Speech, language and communication needs; Autism; Moderate learning difficulties; Severe learning difficulties; Profound and multiple learning difficulties.

PupilsThis schoolBarking and DagenhamEngland
Eligible for free school meals in the last 6 years 46.7% 51.6%* 51.9%
With an education, health and care plan 100.0% 100.0%* 99.5%
Receiving special educational needs support 0.0% 0.0%* 0.5%
English as an additional language 25.7% 28.4%* 14.4%
Overall absence (sessions missed) 10.2% 15.7%* 12.8%
Persistently absent (missed 10% or more) 33.2% 44.6%* 35.3%
Suspensions per 100 pupils 0.0 5.9 12.3
Pupils suspended at least once 0.0% 4.2% 5.1%
Pupils permanently excluded0 pupils 0.00% 0.00% 0.08%
Pupils per teacher 7.1 6.5 6.6
Pupils per adult (teachers and support staff) 2.5 2.2 2.3
Teachers who left during the year 31.8% 21.2%* 14.3%*

Comparisons are with special schools. * Calculated by SchoolScores from the council's or England's schools, weighted by pupils (or teachers, for turnover); other figures are published by DfE. Sources: DfE school census 2024/25; DfE pupil absence 2024/25; DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions 2024/25; DfE school workforce census 2025/26; DfE teacher turnover 2024/25.

SEND provision: Get Information about Schools (DfE).

Nearby special schools

Straight-line distance. Distance isn't the same as a catchment area.

Questions parents ask

What is Riverside Bridge School's Ofsted rating?

Riverside Bridge School was rated Good by Ofsted at its inspection in 25 February 2020. At a shorter ungraded inspection in 26 March 2025, Ofsted found the school had maintained its standards.

Would parents recommend Riverside Bridge School?

94% of the 16 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey between 3 September 2024 and 1 September 2025 said they would recommend Riverside Bridge School to another parent. Parents choose whether to respond, so this may not represent all families.

Sources

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Page updated 26 September 2026.