Riverside Primary School

Riverside Primary School demonstrates a good overall effectiveness, with notable strengths in behavior and personal development, both graded as outstanding. The school offers a warm and welcoming environment, and pupils report high levels of happiness and strong friendships. The leadership, particularly from the headteacher, has a positive impact, fostering a culture of support among staff and strong engagement from parents. While the school has made significant strides in improving its curriculum, particularly in reading, there are still areas that need further development to maintain high standards across all subjects.

Strengths

• Pupils display excellent behavior and are kind and respectful.
• The school provides a broad and interesting curriculum.
• Strong leadership is evident from the headteacher and her team.
• Pupils excel in personal development and contribute positively to the community.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Innovative practices in teaching phonics and reading.

Areas for Improvement

• Need for consistency in teachers' delivery in science and some foundation subjects.
• Sustaining improvements in reading outcomes is essential.

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 Riverside Primary School attended 95.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.8% 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, 1.1% of pupils at Riverside 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 Riverside Primary School had 21.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 32.0% 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, 22.5% of pupils at Riverside Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

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 2024–25 Riverside Primary School received £6,484 and spent £6,571 for each of its 446 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £719,000 (£1,613 per pupil).

Across all 18 schools of Aletheia Academies Trust, income was £5,972 and spending £6,275 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Gillingham · Medway local authority: places and applications

Riverside Primary School is part of Aletheia Academies Trust, which runs 19 schools. The nearest others:

• Rainham Mark Grammar School Gillingham
• Twydall Primary School and Nursery Gillingham
• Cliffe Woods Primary School Rochester
• Halling Primary School Rochester
• Ditton Church of England Junior School Aylesford
• Shorne Church of England Primary School Gravesend
• Gravesend Grammar School Gravesend
• Whitehill Primary School Gravesend
• Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School Gravesend
• Saint George's Church of England School Gravesend

What is Riverside Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Riverside Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was Riverside Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Riverside Primary School was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does Riverside Primary School have?

Riverside Primary School has 453 pupils on roll.

What age range does Riverside Primary School cover?

Riverside Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 56% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Riverside Primary School?

Riverside Primary School is at St Edmunds Way, Rainham, Gillingham, Kent, ME8 8ET.