Riverside Community Primary School Birstall, Leicester
Riverside Community Primary School Birstall is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Leicester, part of Lionheart Educational Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2022 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 73rd-highest of the 138 schools in Leicester with published results, and 7,353rd of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2017)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Leicestershire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Riverside Community Primary School Birstall in detail
Results
In 2025, 78% of Year 6 pupils at Riverside Community Primary School Birstall reached the expected standard in reading and 76% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 77% in Leicestershire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 70% in reading and 77% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Riverside Community Primary School Birstall
For September 2026 entry, 39 families put Riverside Community Primary School Birstall as their first choice and 102 named it as one of their preferences, for 39 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Riverside Community Primary School Birstall
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Riverside Community Primary School Birstall are Highcliffe Primary School and Community Centre (0.6 miles, Good, 83% reading, 66% maths); Hallam Fields, Birstall (1 mile, Good, 89% reading, 89% maths); Church Hill Infant School (1.1 miles, Good); and Church Hill Church of England Junior School (1.1 miles, Good, 71% reading, 84% maths).
Riverside Community Primary School Birstall's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
Highcliffe Primary School and Community CentreHallam Fields, BirstallChurch Hill Infant SchoolChurch Hill Church of England Junior School
The trust
Riverside Community Primary School Birstall is one of 17 schools run by Lionheart Educational Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 68% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
13.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 52 pupils (12.7%) received SEN support and 25 (6.1%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Great Central Railway, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Lawn Avenue (adjacent), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 97 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Leicestershire (58), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Riverside Community Primary School Birstall issued 15 suspensions, 3.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Riverside Community Primary School Birstall are The Cedars Academy (0.6 miles), Rushey Mead Academy (1.1 miles) and The Roundhill Academy (1.3 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoThis judgement is from March 2017, 9 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its March 2017 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
13.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 70% to 78% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 76% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 77% to 69% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.3
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
28.4
KS2
13
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Riverside Community Primary School Birstall
Before and after school care
Riverside Community Primary School Birstall is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Leicestershire
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Riverside Community Primary School Birstall.
- Kumon Leicester Birstall Centre390m away · Not yet graded
- Rocket Holiday Camps860m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Riverside Community Primary School Birstall from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Riverside Community Primary School Birstall is in Leicestershire; for families living there:
- Leicestershire's school travel policy: Mainstream School Transport for 5 to 16 year olds
- How to apply: Request for school transport on medical grounds form PDF, 359.48 KB Opens new window
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 5
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 4 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on a bicycle.
2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Leicestershire is 3 (the median across 329 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Riverside Community Primary School Birstall
Will you get a place at Riverside Community Primary School Birstall? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Riverside Community Primary School Birstall's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Riverside Community Primary School Birstall:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Riverside Community Primary School Birstall.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Leicestershire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Riverside Community Primary School Birstall for 2015 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Leicestershire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
100%
Full
420 pupils
420 places
No spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Leicester
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Leicester
Across Leicestershire council
Places available
8,574
Applications
6,827
Got 1st preference
94.0%
Got preferred school
99.3%
All primary applications across Leicestershire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
52
SEN Support
25
EHC Plans
18.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
409
Total Pupils
214
Boys
195
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
21
Teachers
19.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,397
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,955
Per pupil
£2253k
Total funding
£74k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.2%
Overall absence
8.1%
Persistent absence
383
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Riverside Community Primary School Birstall
Questions parents ask about Riverside Community Primary School Birstall
What are SATs results like at Riverside Community Primary School Birstall?
Of the pupils at Riverside Community Primary School Birstall who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 78% reached the expected standard in reading and 76% did so in maths.
What is Riverside Community Primary School Birstall's Ofsted rating?
Riverside Community Primary School Birstall's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2022, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2017, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Riverside Community Primary School Birstall?
No fixed boundary. When Riverside Community Primary School Birstall is oversubscribed, Leicestershire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Riverside Community Primary School Birstall?
Riverside Community Primary School Birstall was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Riverside Community Primary School Birstall?
Classes at Riverside Community Primary School Birstall average 29.3 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Riverside Community Primary School Birstall?
Riverside Community Primary School Birstall has around 409 pupils on roll. 13% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Riverside Community Primary School Birstall?
4.2% of sessions were missed at Riverside Community Primary School Birstall in 2024/25. 8.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Riverside Community Primary School Birstall?
Apply through Leicestershire's coordinated admissions process, naming Riverside Community Primary School Birstall on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Riverside Community Primary School Birstall have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Riverside Community Primary School Birstall is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Riverside Community Primary School Birstall: Kumon Leicester Birstall Centre (390m away, registered, not yet graded) and Rocket Holiday Camps (860m away, registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near Riverside Community Primary School Birstall?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 4 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on a bicycle. 2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Leicestershire is 3 (the median across 329 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Riverside Community Primary School Birstall?
Riverside Community Primary School Birstall is at Riverside Community Primary School Birstall, Wanlip Lane, Birstall, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE4 4JU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)