Rivacre Brook, Ellesmere Port
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
Rivacre Brook excels at helping pupils who have struggled in mainstream education re-engage with learning. The school takes time to understand each child's individual needs and creates a nurturing, calm environment where pupils feel safe and supported. Staff are skilled at identifying gaps in knowledge and designing activities to help pupils catch up, while also offering a rich range of experiences including sports, music, gardening, vocational opportunities and exciting educational visits.
Key Strengths
- Personalised support helps pupils settle in and build trusting relationships with staff, making them feel safe and happy
- Strong reading programmes with effective phonics identification systems that motivate previously reluctant readers
- Well-designed curriculum covering life skills, PSHE, relationships and sex education, and careers guidance that prepares pupils well for adulthood
- Nurturing staff create calm classrooms where pupils with complex emotional needs can focus on learning
- Wide range of enriching activities and educational visits that develop pupils' talents and interests
Areas for Improvement
- Some learning activities in a small number of subjects do not enable pupils to learn important content as effectively as they could
- Curriculum in some subjects lacks information about key knowledge from key stage 1, making it harder for teachers to prioritise addressing gaps in pupils' knowledge
- Staff subject knowledge needs strengthening in some areas to deliver the curriculum more effectively
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with clear systems in place that put pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
gardening, boxing, music, car mechanics, museums, theatre shows, outdoor adventure activities, football, board games, climbing apparatus
Rivacre Brook is an independent special school for pupils aged 7-18, all with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The school is rated Good overall and helps pupils who have previously had high levels of absence to re-engage with learning and catch up on missed work.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
0.0
Avg class size
0
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Bus Stops
Commute Calculator
Find out if this school is reachable from your home - before you apply
What are my chances?
Enter your postcode to estimate your probability of getting a place.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
72%
Available places
23 pupils
32 capacity
9 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Ellesmere Port
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Ellesmere Port
Admissions Demand - Cheshire West and Chester
Places available
4,161
Applications
3,615
Got 1st preference
95.0%
Got preferred school
99.4%
Secondary admissions across Cheshire West and Chester (2025/26)
House Prices
Moving into the catchment? See what homes near this school actually cost
SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Reviews
No reviews yet - be the first to leave one.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Rivacre Brook
The Brow Community Primary School
St Mary's Church of England Primary School
Astmoor Primary School
Castle View Primary School
Bridgewater Park Primary School
St Augustine's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy
The Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School
Woodside Primary School
Halton Lodge Nursery & Primary School
Palace Fields Primary Academy
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Nearby Schools
Do you work at this school?
Claim your profile free to get a verified badge, update your contact details, and see how many parents are viewing your page.