Riverside Virtual College

Overview

Riverside Virtual College meets all minimum standards for online education set by the Department for Education. The provider delivers high-quality, tailored education for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, with a strong focus on returning them to face-to-face learning. Leaders demonstrate clear ambition and maintain highly effective partnerships with parents and commissioners.

Strengths

• Leaders are "ambitious for pupils" and aim to provide the "best possible outcomes," focusing on returning learners to physical settings.
• "Leaders’ collaboration with parents is a notable strength," with close communication links ensuring pupils receive careers programmes founded on their interests.
• Teachers have "strong subject knowledge" and "highly positive relationships with pupils," managing behaviour well and using questioning effectively to check understanding.
• The curriculum is well-adapted to pupils’ needs, allowing them to work towards recognised qualifications such as GCSEs and functional skills awards.
• Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a "strong feature," supported by daily tutorials and an extra-curricular enrichment programme.

Areas to improve

• Governors should develop a "formal system of holding leaders to account" to ensure standards are consistently and continuously met, replacing current informal checks.

Safeguarding

The report states that arrangements for keeping children safe are "appropriate," noting that while the visit provides only limited assurance compared to face-to-face inspections, suitable systems, cybersecurity measures, and robust recruitment procedures are in place.