Riverside Education

Overview

Leaders have created a culture where everyone is respected, valued and encouraged to be the very best they can be, resulting in pupils who ‘thrive’. The school provides a ‘rich and purposeful’ curriculum with academic, vocational and therapeutic options that prepare pupils well for their future steps. Inspectors found that the school meets the independent school standards and that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Strengths

• The curriculum is ‘ambitious’ and includes a ‘strong vocational offer’ and therapeutic opportunities at a school farm, supporting pupils’ employability and personal development.
• Staff demonstrate expertise and plan learning in a ‘logical order’, ensuring pupils gain the right knowledge and skills in the correct sequence, with basic skills in English and mathematics taught well.
• Behaviour is ‘exemplary’, with high expectations and strong relationships ensuring pupils show respect for adults and peers, while incidents of unkindness or bullying are rare.
• Leaders and staff know pupils well, adapting learning effectively for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, ensuring learning is ‘accessible to all’.
• Pupils benefit from a well-planned wider curriculum that develops character and social skills, including running a school tuck shop and online shop to learn practical life skills.

Areas to improve

• The report identifies no significant areas for improvement.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with leaders and staff appropriately trained to recognise if a pupil may be at risk of harm and taking swift, appropriate action when concerns arise.