Riversides School

Special academy · All-through, ages 7 to 16 · Mixed

Part of CENTRAL LEARNING PARTNERSHIP TRUST

Thorneloe Road, Barbourne, Worcester, WR1 3HZ

0190521261 · School website · Map and directions

Ofsted report card1 strong, 5 expectedSafeguarding met · 27 January 2026
Grade 5 or above in English and maths0%England 45% · 2024/25
Pupils73Room for 68 Pupil numbers in January of each year: 64 in 2019, 65 in 2021, 64 in 2022, 70 in 2023, 68 in 2024, 69 in 2025, 73 in 2026. Across England, special state school pupil numbers were up 39% from 2019 to 2025.
Free school meals74%of pupils eligible now

Ofsted inspection

Ofsted report card from the inspection that started on 27 January 2026 , published 28 May 2026.

In short: 1 strong, 5 expected, and safeguarding met.

Since November 2025 Ofsted grades each area on a five-point scale instead of giving one overall grade. How report cards work.

AreaGrade
SafeguardingWhether pupils are kept safe. Met or not met. Met
InclusionHow well the school supports disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs. Expected standard Middle of five grades. Meets the standard Ofsted expects.
Curriculum and teachingWhat pupils are taught and how well they are taught it. Expected standard Middle of five grades. Meets the standard Ofsted expects.
AchievementHow well pupils learn and the results they get. Expected standard Middle of five grades. Meets the standard Ofsted expects.
Attendance and behaviourWhether pupils come to school and how they behave. Expected standard Middle of five grades. Meets the standard Ofsted expects.
Personal development and wellbeingPupils' wider development, character and wellbeing. Strong standard Second of five grades. Better than the standard Ofsted expects.
Leadership and governanceHow well leaders and governors run the school. Expected standard Middle of five grades. Meets the standard Ofsted expects.

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 10 November 2025 and 6 April 2026.

StatementThis schoolEngland
My child is happy at this school 94% 83%
My child feels safe at this school 94% 85%
The school makes sure pupils are well behaved 81% 78%
Concerns were dealt with properlyOf 15 parents who had raised a concern 93% 74%
My child with SEND gets the support they needOf 16 parents of children with SEND 94% 63%
I would recommend this school to another parent 94%said yes 83%

Parents choose whether to take part, so these answers may not represent all families (Ofsted puts the response rate at 23%). 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. Source: Ofsted Parent View management information.

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Results

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

8 pupils in this year group.

Only 8 pupils took these tests, so results can change a lot from year to year. Compare with care.

0% — 59 points below the Worcestershire average, and 62 points below the England average.

MeasureThis schoolWorcestershireEngland
Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths 0% 59% 62%
Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths 0% 7% 8%
Met the expected standard in reading 13% 73% 75%
Met the expected standard in writing 0% 71% 72%
Met the expected standard in maths 0% 72% 74%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 is the expected standard. 101 105 106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 is the expected standard. 96 104 105
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.

GCSEs (key stage 4, age 16), 2024/25

15 pupils in this year group.

0% — 41 points below the Worcestershire average, and 45 points below the England average.

MeasureThis schoolWorcestershireEngland
Grade 5 or above in English and maths 0% 41% 45%
Attainment 8 scoreAverage of each pupil's grades across 8 GCSE-level subjects, with English and maths counted twice. Around 50 means grade 5s on average. 13.9 44.2 46.1
EBacc average point scoreAverage points across the English Baccalaureate subjects: English, maths, sciences, a language and history or geography. 0.7 3.9 4.1
Grade 5 or above in English and maths, over time
0% 20% 40% 60% England 2022/23: 45%England 2023/24: 46%England 2024/25: 45% This school 2023/24: 0%This school 2024/25: 0% This school England 45% 2022/23 – 2023/24 0% 2024/25 0%

Progress 8 isn't shown. DfE didn't publish it for 2024/25 because this year group's key stage 2 tests in 2020 were cancelled, and older progress scores aren't comparable.

Source: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25. 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 Worcestershire. The national closing date for secondary applications is 31 October, and offers are sent on 1 March.

Admissions dates and schools in Worcestershire

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.

PupilsThis schoolWorcestershireEngland
Eligible for free school meals in the last 6 years 78.3% 45.5%* 51.9%
With an education, health and care plan 100.0% 99.6%* 99.5%
Receiving special educational needs support 0.0% 0.4%* 0.5%
English as an additional language 0.0% 6.7%* 14.4%
Overall absence (sessions missed) 21.3% 13.6%* 12.8%
Persistently absent (missed 10% or more) 52.0% 36.3%* 35.3%
Suspensions per 100 pupils 27.5 7.1 12.3
Pupils suspended at least once 18.8% 4.2% 5.1%
Pupils permanently excluded0 pupils 0.00% 0.11% 0.08%
Pupils per teacher 4.4 6.0 6.6
Pupils per adult (teachers and support staff) 1.6 2.3 2.3
Teachers who left during the year 0.0% 10.3%* 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 Riversides School's Ofsted rating?

Riversides School was inspected under Ofsted's report card format in 27 January 2026. Report cards grade each area on a five-point scale instead of giving one overall grade. Its grades were 1 strong, 5 expected, and safeguarding was met.

How did Riversides School do in its GCSEs?

In 2024/25, 0% of pupils grade 5 or above in English and maths, 45 points below the England average of 45%.

Would parents recommend Riversides School?

94% of the 16 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey between 10 November 2025 and 6 April 2026 said they would recommend Riversides School to another parent. Parents choose whether to respond, so this may not represent all families.

Sources

Spotted a mistake? Report it and we'll check it against the source.

Page updated 26 September 2026.