School Chooser

Riversides School

Special · ages 7-16MixedAcademy73 pupils Free breakfast clubWorcesterWorcestershire
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedAs expected teachingOfsted report card, January 2026
Strong pass in English and maths0%England 46%
Attendance78.7%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families74%Far more than most schools
Parents would recommend94%16 Parent View responses
PlacesFull73 pupils, 68 places

Riversides School is a sponsored special academy in Worcester for boys and girls aged 7 to 16. It has 73 pupils, 5 more than it has places for. About 74 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted visited in January 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.

Thorneloe Road, Barbourne, Worcester, WR1 3HZ0190521261riversideschool.co.ukMr Ian Enwright executive headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted visited on 27 January 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.

TeachingOfsted calls this “curriculum and teaching”
As expected
Achievement
As expected
Behaviour and attendanceOfsted calls this “attendance and behaviour”
As expected
Support for every childOfsted calls this “inclusion”
As expected
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development and wellbeing”
Strong
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and governance”
As expected
SafeguardingAre pupils kept safe?
Pupils are kept safe
Met
Ofsted's scale:ExceptionalStrong standardExpected standardNeeds attentionUrgent improvement

Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.

Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
6 October 2021UngradedSchool remains Good

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

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

Average GCSE score13.9
England 46.8
Official name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and maths0%
England 46%
Official name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and maths7%
England 66%
Official name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11-0.86In each subject, pupils here finished most of a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2023/24, the latest year there is. The government didn't work it out for the 2025 year group.)Official name: Progress 8
Trend
Average GCSE score
2018 to 2025
2018: 11.411.420182019: 12.612.620192024: 11.111.120242025: 13.913.92025
Since 2018: +2.5
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018WorcestershireEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11159551011
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 813.911.112.611.444.546.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8-0.86-1.82-1.31
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths0%0%0%0%41%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths7%0%10%0%64%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score0.690.590.570.653.934.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%0%0%0%39%41%
Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers11.110.3

Subjects

Results came out for 4 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.

What is taught here

The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.

Every subject against England, 2025
7%England 58%
0%England 55%
Mathematics10 entries
0%England 53%
SubjectEntriesGrades 9 to 7Grades 9 to 5Grades 9 to 4England 9 to 5Rank in England
English Literature140%7%14%58%
Media / Film / TV100%0%10%55%
Mathematics100%0%30%53%
English Language90%11%11%54%

In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

8 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 score101.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score96.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2019 to 2025
2019: 0%0%20192023: 0%0%20232024: 0%0%20242025: 0%0%2025
Since 2019: +0%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017WorcestershireEngland
Pupils tested8991132
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%62%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score101.099.0103.094.0105.6105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score96.098.094.088.0104.0104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score93.094.099.088.0104.4105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard13%0%22%9%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard0%0%0%0%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%11%0%0%
Reading progressReading progress score-13.0-12.9
Maths progressMaths progress score-15.4

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 Worcestershire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

What parents say

Would recommend the school94%England 84%
My child is happy here94%agree or strongly agree
My child feels safe94%
Positive overall94%
My child is happy at this school
94%England 85%
My child feels safe at this school
94%England 86%
Pupils are well behavedThe school makes sure its pupils are well behaved
81%England 79%
Has your child been bullied here?Parents answering yes
6% yesEngland 20%
Bullying was dealt with quickly and effectivelyOnly parents whose child was bullied
100%England 49%
My child gets the right support to learn well
94%England 81%
Does your child have SEND?Parents answering yes
100% yesEngland 32%
The school gives them the support they needOnly parents of children with SEND
94%England 68%
The school communicates well with me
94%England 78%
My concerns have been dealt with properlyWhen I have raised concerns
88%England 66%
Decisions put the child's best interests first
94%England 78%
I would recommend this school
94%England 84%
Overall view of the school is positive
94%England 79%
Strongly agreeAgreeDon't knowDisagreeStrongly disagreeEngland, agree or yes

From Ofsted's Parent View survey: 16 parents answered in the year to 6 April 2026. Parents choose whether to fill it in, and many only do so when an inspection is coming, so don't read too much into small differences. The England figures are the average for all schools with enough answers to publish.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll73Census January 2026
Places68107% full
Pupils from low-income families74%74% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English0%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%73 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)69%£59,300 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls69 / 4
White British pupils89%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (35), emotional and mental health (31), language and communications needs (7).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll736968706465
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals74%77%81%77%72%69%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language0%0%0%0%0%0%
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 78.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance78.7%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school52.0%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils27.52024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission7.2%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence21.3%21.4%19.1%20.0%29.4%21.2%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence14.1%12.9%13.6%14.3%24.3%12.6%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence7.2%8.5%5.5%5.6%5.1%8.6%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence52.0%55.7%57.9%65.3%74.7%47.8%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate27.570.685.7110.9146.2
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00122

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 11 pupils who left in 2020/21 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training82%and stayed there for at least six months
Earlier years
Destination2020/21 leavers2019/20 leavers2018/19 leavers2016/17 leavers
Still in education, work or training82%57%70%67%
Education82%57%60%56%
Apprenticeship0%0%0%11%
Work0%0%10%0%
Not in education, work or training18%43%20%33%

Staff and money

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

Teachers16.6full-time equivalent, 17 people
Pupils per teacher4.4Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers88%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants28.5full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£54,505
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher5.42024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£33,855England £30,720. Total £2.3m
Income per pupil£36,870England £33,526. Total £2.5m
Spent on teachers per pupil£14,913England £11,966
Money in reserve18%A healthy amount put by: £450k, £6,527 per pupil. England 16%
Money in against money out+£208kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£33,855spent 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 m25812 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate286 per 1,000 people214% higher than the England average
Typical house price£257,000Worcester
Nearest bus stop140 mSt George's Square, 8 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
St George's Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy160 m193Good 202375Compare
St George's CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England330 m163Good 202220Compare
Royal Grammar School WorcesterIndependent (grammar)410 m1,397Not inspectedCompare
Bishop Perowne CofE CollegeAcademy810 m1,155Good 202430Compare
Oldbury Park Primary SchoolAcademy0.6 miles361Good 202422Compare
St Barnabas CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England0.7 miles380No overall grade 202471Compare
Northwick Manor Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles573Outstanding 202289Compare
University of WorcesterHigher education institutions0.7 milesNot inspectedCompare

Questions parents ask

Is Riversides School a good school?

Riversides School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted's report card from January 2026 rated its teaching as as expected.

What is Riversides School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 27 January 2026 it rated teaching as as expected, achievement as as expected, behaviour and attendance as as expected, leadership as as expected.

How good are Riversides School's GCSE results?

In summer 2025, 0% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 13.9, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished most of a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.

How good are Riversides 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 Riversides School have?

73 pupils aged 7 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 68 places, so it is 107% full.

What is attendance like at Riversides School?

Pupils were in school 78.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 52% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

What do parents say about Riversides School?

94% of the 16 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey would recommend it to other parents, and 94% say their child is happy there. Across England, 84% of parents would recommend their child's school.

Does Riversides School have a breakfast club?

Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.

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

Contact and details

Address
Thorneloe Road, Barbourne, Worcester, WR1 3HZ
Telephone
0190521261
Website
www.riversideschool.co.uk
Executive Headteacher
Mr Ian Enwright
Free breakfast club
Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
Type of school
Sponsored special academy (Academy special sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Special school, ages 7-16
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Central Learning Partnership Trust (16 schools)
Local authority
Worcestershire
Ward
Arboretum
Constituency
Worcester
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 January 2014 (new provision)
URN
140397 · LAESTAB 8857003 · UKPRN 10044173
Formerly
Riversides School

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from