Ages 
We often hear that a school is one big family, but this time we were convinced: a caring community from the head right through to the pet guinea pigs. Riverston School provides bespoke teaching strategies and nurture for small classes of vulnerable children by understanding their backgrounds and special needs. Sensitive staff play to the children’s strengths and adjust their approach to their needs, whether it is A level maths or riding on the bus: ‘It’s like a transformation you wouldn’t believe,’ a mum said. ‘I feel I’ve got my life back.’
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Overview & data
- Notes
- Pupils from 11- 21 years with particular provision for students with mild learning difficulties, autism spectrum disorder of average ability level. There is nursery and early years provision from age 0-5. No junior School.
- Pupil numbers
- 200 ·
- Sixth form numbers
- 36 ·
- Religion
- None
- Local authority
- Royal Borough of Greenwich Council
Headteacher
Headteacher
Mr Guy Baker
Since March 2024, Guy Baker, previously deputy head and a recent graduate of the Chatsworth Schools Leadership Development programme. He stepped up to the role after 11 years at the school teaching history and taking on various pastoral roles.
Entrance
A mainstream nursery and pre-school, and a co-educational senior school for special needs, mainly autism and ADHD. School defines its intake by needs they can meet, after a thorough entrance process: paperwork/EHCPs, normally three taster days and
- Open days
- Monthly
Exit
‘We try to encourage all to stay on for KS5,’ one teacher told us - and the extended sixth form allows for children to pursue vocational courses with work placements, retake exams or build life skills and confidence. ‘Most have visited sixth forms
Latest results
2023 KS4 results 42 per cent 9 – 4 English and Maths.
A level - Average points score (2024)
What is this?
These figures tell you the average grade and average points that pupils achieved in their academic qualifications. A maximum of 60 points are available for a grade A* at A level.
Teaching & learning
Between 16 and 24 are taken into each year group, and divided into three classes with a tutor, then into even smaller numbers for individual lessons. Trained learning support assistants are assigned to some individuals or small groups. The morning
- Qualifications taken in 2024
- A level
- GCSE
Learning support & SEN
As an autism accredited school, teachers and learning support assistants receive training from the National Autistic Society to develop best practice. Autism advice is ongoing and covers everything from school trips to coronavirus. Sensitivity to
Arts & extracurricular
A wide practical curriculum plays to children’s strengths. ‘A lot of these children are more creative than academic,’ a parent told us. Food tech is super popular: ‘It’s spaghetti bolognaise, quiche, cakes, they bring them all home - lovely!’ a
Sport
Sports leaders course at KS4 is a popular and practical option with the older students coaching younger children in a range of physical activities including football, volleyball, basketball, and PE. A large sports hall with climbing wall is
Ethos & heritage
A terrace of respectable Victorian town houses on a busy road in the southeast London Borough of Royal Greenwich hide this honeypot of specialist education. Founded in 1926 - and from the 1950s, ran as a mainstream school with a broad-based cohort by
Therapy & staffing
There is a full time speech therapist for the large numbers of pupils with language difficulties. She sees pupils according to the provision in their EHCPs, though privately paying pupils also have access to the speech therapist. We spoke to one
Pastoral care, inclusivity & discipline
Integral to the teaching is pastoral care. The head describes the school’s USP as ‘finding out what the children do together - making sure the children have the opportunities to be successful’. The curriculum offers daily PSHE sessions to cover the
Mobile phone policy
A clear mobile phone policy is a really important part of modern schooling. This school has provided us with their policy.
Mobile phone policy
Provided by the school and not part of our review Students are required at the beginning of each day to hand in their phones which will be placed in to phone bags as per their form group. They will be handed back their phones at the end of the day during their PM form registration. Sixth form and college students are allowed to have their phones subject to their parents and themselves agreeing to the contract and its terms noted, they are only allowed to use in designated areas and not around the whole school.
Pupils & parents
The pre-school children dress in comfortable hoodies in the royal blue school colours, while the seniors wear a navy blazer with white shirt, grey jumper and a tie denoting their house; girls may wear a checked skirt. Drawn from a cross-section of
Money matters
Most of the senior school students are local authority funded via EHCPs, some privately. Riverston School has Tier Five status to accept international students.
The last word
We often hear that a school is one big family, but this time we were convinced: a caring community from the head right through to the pet guinea pigs. Riverston School provides bespoke teaching strategies and nurture for small classes of vulnerable
