Riverside Primary School, Gillingham
Riverside Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Gillingham, part of Aletheia Academies Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 20th-highest of the 25 schools in Gillingham with published results, and 12,633rd of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Medway (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Riverside Primary School in detail
Riverside Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: ""I am proud to lead a dedicated and talented team of staff, who work together with our Academy Committee and Trust, to make Riverside the best it can be."
The school runs after-school care.
Coming up: an open day on Friday 13 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Medway
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 61% of Year 6 pupils at Riverside Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 62% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 72% in Medway and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 71% in reading and 71% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Riverside Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 56 families put Riverside Primary School as their first choice and 106 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Riverside Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Riverside Primary School are St Margaret's Infant School (0.7 miles, Good); St Margaret's Church of England Junior School (0.7 miles, Good, 81% reading, 72% maths); Miers Court Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 71% reading, 73% maths); and Thames View Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 88% reading, 92% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Riverside Primary School.
St Margaret's Infant SchoolSt Margaret's Church of England Junior SchoolMiers Court Primary SchoolThames View Primary School
The trust
Riverside Primary School is one of 19 schools run by Aletheia Academies Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 64% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
43 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Riverside Primary School (as of September 2025): 77% would recommend the school, 86% say their child is happy there and 44% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (88%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (44%).
Who goes there
In 2026, 102 pupils (22.5%) received SEN support and 28 (6.2%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Riverside Primary School has a resourced provision for visual impairment and autism: 15 places, 17 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Rainham (Kent) Rail Station, about 540 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Taswell Road (o/s 11), 70 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 criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Medway (250).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Riverside Primary School issued 9 suspensions, 2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Riverside Primary School are Leigh Academy Rainham (0.3 miles), Rainham Mark Grammar School (1.1 miles), The Howard School (1.2 miles) and Rainham School for Girls (1.2 miles).
Leigh Academy RainhamRainham Mark Grammar SchoolThe Howard SchoolRainham School for Girls
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; Ofsted Parent View; 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 · 1 year agoThis judgement is from November 2019, 6 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Riverside Primary is a caring school where every child feels welcomed and celebrated. Teachers have strong subject knowledge and regularly check what pupils are learning, helping them make good progress especially in English and maths. The school offers an exceptionally wide range of enriching activities - from theatre visits and cooking to building go-karts and supporting the local community - which help pupils learn about the world beyond school.
Key Strengths
- Pupils feel happy, included and celebrated with strong care and compassion shown towards each other
- High achievement in English and mathematics with skilled teaching and regular checks on pupil learning
- Exceptional personal development programme including online safety, health, careers, theatre visits, and community service through the Riverside Rangers
- Well-adapted learning for pupils with SEND who progress alongside their peers
- Effective phonics teaching with improved outcomes after staff training and well-matched reading books
Areas for Improvement
- Checks on pupil knowledge and recall need to be more fully developed in subjects beyond English and mathematics
- Teachers need better systems to establish and build on what pupils already know in the wider curriculum to address any gaps in learning
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with pupils confident they can report concerns to staff or use worry boxes.
Extracurricular Activities
Theatre visits, cathedral visits, performances, go-kart building club, bridge building club, Riverside Rangers community service programme, careers fairs, growing food and cooking activities, online safety learning
Riverside Primary School has maintained its good standards and provides a welcoming, inclusive environment where pupils are well-supported and achieve strongly in English and mathematics. The school has a broad curriculum with excellent personal development opportunities and effective safeguarding arrangements.
At a Glance
31.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Vision, Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
43 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 71% to 61% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 71% to 62% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 68% to 62% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
26.3
Avg class size
26.8
Infant (KS1)
29.8
KS2
14
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Riverside Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Riverside Primary School.
- MFSEAt the school · Not yet graded
- First Class Learning Gillingham South Ltd500m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Riverside Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Riverside Primary School is in Medway; for families living there:
Apply to Medway for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 23
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 23 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 17 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot.
7 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 Medway is 25 (the median across 117 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 Primary School
Will you get a place at Riverside Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Riverside Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Riverside Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Riverside Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Medway, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Riverside Primary School for 2017 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Medway 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
99%
Near capacity
416 pupils
420 places
4 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Gillingham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Gillingham
Across Medway council
Places available
3,675
Applications
3,130
Got 1st preference
93.9%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Medway council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
102
SEN Support
28
EHC Plans
28.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Riverside Primary School has a resourced provision for visual impairment and autism: 15 places, 17 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
453
Total Pupils
251
Boys
202
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
21
Teachers
21.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£44,617
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,305
Per pupil
£2554k
Total funding
£223k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.5%
Overall absence
7.8%
Persistent absence
372
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 Primary School
Questions parents ask about Riverside Primary School
What are SATs results like at Riverside Primary School?
Of the pupils at Riverside Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 61% reached the expected standard in reading and 62% did so in maths.
What is Riverside Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Riverside Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Riverside Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Riverside Primary School is oversubscribed, Medway allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Riverside Primary School?
Riverside Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Riverside Primary School?
Classes at Riverside Primary School average 26.3 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Riverside Primary School?
Riverside Primary School has around 453 pupils on roll. 32% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Riverside Primary School have specialist SEN provision?
Riverside Primary School has a resourced provision for visual impairment and autism: 15 places, 17 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Riverside Primary School?
4.5% of sessions were missed at Riverside Primary School in 2024/25. 7.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Riverside Primary School?
Apply through Medway's coordinated admissions process, naming Riverside Primary School 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 Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: MFSE (registered, not yet graded). There is another within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Riverside Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 23 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 17 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot. 7 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 Medway is 25 (the median across 117 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Riverside Primary School?
Riverside Primary School is at St Edmunds Way, Rainham, Gillingham, Kent, ME8 8ET.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)