School Chooser

Riverside Special School

Special · ages 2-19MixedCouncil145 pupilsSixth formNurseryGooleEast Riding of Yorkshire
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, September 2023
Reached the expected level at 110%England 63%
Attendance90.7%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families35%Far more than most schools
Places10 spare145 pupils, 155 places
Pupils per teacher8.4School workforce census

Riverside Special School is a council special school in Goole for boys and girls aged 2 to 19. It has 145 pupils and room for 155. About 34 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Ainsty Street, Goole, DN14 5JS01405 763925riversideschoolgoole.co.ukMr David Percival headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 26 September 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Outstanding
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Sixth formOfsted calls this “post-16”
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

12 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

Average GCSE scoreOfficial name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and mathsOfficial name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and mathsOfficial name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11-1.60In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2018/19, the latest year there is. The government didn't work it out for the 2025 year group.)Official name: Progress 8
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018East Riding of YorkshireEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 111281512911
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 80.21.844.946.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8-1.60-1.69
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths0%0%42%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths0%0%63%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score0.020.153.974.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%0%37%41%
Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers0.31.8

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

6 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 110%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 0%0%20172018: 0%0%20182019: 0%0%20192024: 0%0%20242025: 0%0%2025
Since 2017: +0%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017East Riding of YorkshireEngland
Pupils tested694676
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%59%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%5%8%
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score98.0103.9105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%0%0%0%0%
Reading progressReading progress score-12.7-10.4
Maths progressMaths progress score-12.4-9.6

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to East Riding of Yorkshire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll145Census January 2026
Places15594% full
Pupils from low-income families37%35% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English11%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%145 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)35%£52,750 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls108 / 37
White British pupils79%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in East Riding of Yorkshire with profound and multiple learning difficulties provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (40), language and communications needs (36), Severe learning difficulty (22), Other difficulty or disability (18), Moderate learning difficulty (8), Physical disability (8).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll145140136136135128
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals37%34%35%37%37%33%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language11%11%11%9%6%5%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 90.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance90.7%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school29.7%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils2.12024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.3%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence9.3%11.5%8.5%8.0%18.6%6.6%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence8.0%10.2%7.0%7.0%18.2%5.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.3%1.3%1.5%1.0%0.4%1.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence29.7%36.0%25.5%32.0%72.0%14.3%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate2.11.51.51.50.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 15 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training93%and stayed there for at least six months
Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers2019/20 leavers
Still in education, work or training93%92%100%100%
Education93%92%100%100%
Apprenticeship0%0%0%0%
Work0%0%0%0%
Not in education, work or training7%0%0%0%

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers17.3full-time equivalent, 19 people
Pupils per teacher8.4Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants61.5full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£55,161
Teachers who left in the year8%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher13.12024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£26,036England £32,258. Total £3.6m
Income per pupil£25,586England £32,367. Total £3.6m
Spent on teachers per pupil£8,623England £11,930
Money in reserve0%In the red: -£7,579, -£54 per pupil. England 7%
Money in against money out-£63kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£26,036spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m24712 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate51 per 1,000 people44% lower than the England average
Typical house price£227,500East Riding of Yorkshire
Nearest bus stop170 mGoole Hook Road, 2 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Kingsway Primary SchoolCouncil110 m383Good 202310Compare
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School GooleAcademy820 m102Good 202032Compare
Hook Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy0.9 miles183Requires improvement 202315Compare
Falcons LearningIndependent1.0 miles27Not inspectedCompare
Goole AcademyAcademy1.0 miles1,348Good 202269Compare
Boothferry Primary SchoolCouncil1.0 miles389Good 202423Compare
Parkside Primary SchoolCouncil1.2 miles408No overall grade 202510Compare
Marshlands Primary SchoolCouncil1.2 miles221Good 202317Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Riverside Special School a good school?

Riverside Special School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in September 2023.

What is Riverside Special School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Riverside Special School good at its last full inspection on 26 September 2023.

How good are Riverside Special School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 0% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Riverside Special School have?

145 pupils aged 2 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 155 places, so it is 94% full.

What is attendance like at Riverside Special School?

Pupils were in school 90.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 30% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Riverside Special School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for profound and multiple learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

Does Riverside Special School have a sixth form?

Yes.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Ainsty Street, Goole, DN14 5JS
Telephone
01405 763925
Website
www.riversideschoolgoole.co.uk
Headteacher
Mr David Percival
Type of school
Council special school (Community special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 2-19, with nursery, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
East Riding of Yorkshire
Ward
Goole South
Constituency
Goole and Pocklington
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
118148 · LAESTAB 8117025 · UKPRN 10017356

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from