Riversdale Primary School

Riversdale Primary School is a happy, calm and respectful school where pupils feel safe and typically behave well. Safeguarding is effective, attendance is improving, and personal development is a notable strength: pupils benefit from a range of clubs, visits, leadership roles and targeted welfare support. The school has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs, including autism, and a well-above-average proportion of pupils with EHC plans. However, pupils typically do not achieve well. Outcomes in reading, writing, mathematics and phonics have been below national averages, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. Teaching is uneven, the curriculum is not consistently taught well, and assessment does not routinely check understanding. Support for SEND and disadvantaged pupils is often not precisely matched to learning needs, including in the specially resourced provision. Early years and inclusion also require attention. There have been recent changes to leadership, and leaders have improved the curriculum and attendance and have an accurate view of teaching quality. Nevertheless, improvement is uneven, leadership capacity is concentrated among too few people, and governance oversight needs sharpening, especially for SEND. The school is not yet securing the secure foundations pupils need for the next stage of their education.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met and pupils feel safe.
• Pupils are happy, polite and behave well in a calm, purposeful culture.
• Bullying is rare and pupils are taught to consider the effect of their words and actions.
• Attendance is improving, including for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Personal development teaches pupils about safety, British values, equality and diversity.
• Pupils enjoy a range of clubs, visits and enrichment opportunities.
• Additional funding helps disadvantaged pupils access the wider personal development programme.
• Pupils take on meaningful leadership roles and show responsibility.
• The curriculum has been improved and is broad and balanced.
• Leaders have an accurate view of teaching quality and have begun improvement work.
• Early years has clear routines and a calm, warm and predictable environment.
• Pupils with SEND are identified promptly and generally well cared for.
• Leaders use alternative provision appropriately and are mindful of staff workload and wellbeing.
• Relationships with parents and the wider community are positive.
• Pupils achieve well in the Year 4 multiplication tables check.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils typically do not achieve well over time.
• Outcomes in reading, writing, mathematics and phonics are below national averages.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND achieve less well than they should.
• Teaching quality is uneven across year groups and phases.
• Teaching does not routinely check understanding, so gaps and misconceptions go unnoticed.
• Adaptations for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are inconsistent and often poorly matched to needs.
• SEND targets lack precision and plans are not detailed enough for staff to act on.
• Staff are often unclear about how to support pupils with SEND in lessons.
• The specially resourced provision is not routinely ambitious or clear about what pupils need to learn next.
• Early years staff interactions are uneven and communication and language development is not consistently promoted.
• Improvements to early reading have not yet had a sustained impact.
• Inclusion support is stronger for pupils’ welfare than for their learning.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND attend clubs at low rates.
• Governance has not consistently held leaders to account, especially for SEND.
• Day-to-day management is concentrated among too few people.
• Improvement progress is uneven and impact is not yet evident in several areas.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Riversdale Primary School attended 94.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.9% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.5% of pupils at Riversdale Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Riversdale Primary School had 12.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.8% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 17.9% of pupils at Riversdale Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 14.5% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 32 pupils.

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Riversdale Primary School received £12,624 and spent £12,624 for each of its 320 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £182,000 (£569 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Wandsworth · Wandsworth local authority: places and applications

What is Riversdale Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Riversdale Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Riversdale Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Riversdale Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Riversdale Primary School have?

Riversdale Primary School has 324 pupils on roll.

What age range does Riversdale Primary School cover?

Riversdale Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Riversdale Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 62% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Riversdale Primary School?

Riversdale Primary School is at 302a Merton Road, Wandsworth, London, SW18 5JP.