Riverside Education Review 2026: Therapeutic farm learning for 14–19 alternative provision

A small, specialist independent setting for students aged 14 to 19, Riverside Education is designed for young people who have not thrived in conventional secondary or college routes, often because of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and, in some cases, prolonged absence from education. It operates as an alternative provision model rather than a traditional open-enrolment secondary school, with placements typically commissioned by local authorities or mainstream schools through referral routes.

The school’s identity is strongly shaped by its work-based learning offer, including a therapeutic farm programme, alongside academic routes such as Functional Skills and GCSE entry where appropriate. A recent inspection judged the provision Outstanding across categories, including sixth-form provision, giving reassurance about quality, leadership, and safeguarding culture.

For families, the key question is fit, not league-table status. This is a setting for students who need stability, therapeutic support, and a flexible pathway back into learning, with clear expectations and practical routes into employment, training, and supported progression.

Riverside Education presents itself as purpose-built around re-engagement. The language used across its policies and pastoral pages centres on respect, honesty, integrity, and rebuilding confidence in learning, which aligns with the wider model of alternative provision for students at risk of exclusion or disengagement.

Leadership is unusually founder-led for a school of this size. Dr Abide Zenenga is identified as head teacher and co-founder, with the school stating he co-founded the organisation in 2015. A wider leadership structure is also visible, with a head of school and designated safeguarding roles referenced across staffing information and safeguarding communications. For parents, that combination often matters: continuity of vision at the top, plus a day-to-day operational team that can keep routines consistent for students who find change difficult.

External evaluation describes the culture as relational and grounded. Students are described as feeling valued and safe, with calm behaviour, strong adult relationships, and a sense of community that reduces incidents of unkindness and bullying. The most persuasive evidence here is not a slogan or a mission statement, but the emphasis on structured, individualised approaches, supported by staff who understand that many students arrive with a complex history, including gaps in schooling.

A distinctive feature is the farm-based provision and animal-related learning. This is not presented as a “nice extra”, but as part of an intentional strategy to support mental wellbeing, emotional regulation, and employability habits through outdoor, practical routines. That emphasis will appeal to families whose child responds better to hands-on learning and a calmer environment than a large mainstream campus.

This is an independent school, so the most important performance lens is whether learning is carefully sequenced, whether students gain meaningful qualifications, and whether the provision is safe, well led, and effective at re-engagement. The latest inspection outcome was Outstanding overall, with Outstanding judgements also recorded for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision.

FindMySchool’s GCSE ranking data places Riverside Education 4,441st in England for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), and 109th locally in Birmingham. This corresponds to performance below England average, within the bottom 40% of ranked schools in England (60th to 100th percentile). On the published measures available here, the percentage achieving grades 5 or above in the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) subject combination is recorded as 0%.

Those figures need careful interpretation in context. Riverside Education is structured around personalised timetables, alternative qualifications, and vocational routes that may not map neatly onto the GCSE and EBacc measures used for large mainstream secondaries. External evaluation highlights a curriculum built around academic, vocational, and therapeutic options, and describes pupils working towards meaningful qualifications aligned to their needs and next steps.

For parents comparing options, the most sensible use of FindMySchool’s local hub and comparison tools is to benchmark Riverside against other alternative provision and specialist settings, rather than against mainstream comprehensives or grammar schools. The relevant question is progress from starting points, attendance recovery, and the credibility of post-16 pathways.

The teaching model is based on flexibility without losing structure. Admissions documentation describes an initial assessment process, including standardised assessment tools and the collection of prior attainment and risk information, before a placement is confirmed. That approach matters because students in alternative provision often have uneven profiles, strong capability in some areas, and significant barriers in others.

The curriculum is positioned in three interlocking strands: academic learning (including Maths and English Functional Skills and, where appropriate, GCSE routes), vocational programmes, and therapeutic or personal development elements. The school describes opportunities for level 1 and level 2 qualifications, with Maths and English typically forming a consistent core alongside chosen vocational routes.

The vocational element is unusually concrete. External evaluation highlights specific vocational learning examples such as construction and catering, and references practical industry-linked activities including digger driving within vocational learning. Where this tends to work well is the cause-and-effect: practical skills create visible success quickly, which can then be used to rebuild learning habits and confidence for academic study.

Post-16 learning is described as a tailored programme for students who may be at risk of becoming not in education, employment, or training (NEET). The school sets criteria for access to its post-16 programme and describes a blend of academic curriculum, vocational curriculum, work-based learning provision, and work experience (either simulated or placement based). The implication for families is that Riverside is not trying to replicate a conventional sixth form; it is trying to build a bridge into employability, training, and supported progression.

Destination data can be particularly hard to interpret for small cohorts and for providers where students may arrive and leave at different points across the year. For the 2023/24 cohort captured in the available destinations dataset (cohort size 14), the published figures record 0% progression to university, further education, apprenticeships, and employment.

On its face, that is an unusual pattern, and it is exactly the sort of data point parents should not ignore. It does not automatically mean students do not progress; it may reflect how destinations were recorded for a small cohort, the complexity of student pathways, or routes that sit outside these categories. The practical step is to ask Riverside how it tracks destinations for students leaving at different points, and what typical next steps look like for comparable students.

Where the published narrative evidence is clearer is around employability preparation. The work-based learning programme is explicitly designed for students with SEND who may be at risk of NEET, with a stated focus on work habits, communication, resilience, timekeeping, teamwork, and self-advocacy. This is supported by farm-based practical routines and qualification pathways such as employability and life skills awards alongside Functional Skills.

If your child’s target destination is a traditional academic sixth-form pipeline into Russell Group universities, Riverside is unlikely to be the most direct fit. If the goal is re-entry into learning, a credible level 1 or level 2 route, and support into training, employment, or supported college progression, the model aligns well with that objective.

Admissions here operate through referral routes, not parent-led applications. The current admissions policy states that Riverside Education does not accept applications from parents or self-referrals; students are admitted following referral from a local authority or from a school or academy seeking an alternative provision placement.

For local authority placements, the policy describes a consultation process where information is shared securely, a tour is arranged with parents or carers and relevant professionals, and the school decides whether it can meet a student’s needs within five working days. For school-commissioned alternative provision placements, the policy describes a similar documentation and tour process, followed by service level agreements where applicable.

The practical implication is that “deadlines” look different here. Entry is more likely to be rolling across the year, driven by panel decisions, placement availability, and suitability, rather than a single September intake. Families who are considering Riverside should start by speaking to their current school, SEN case officer, or relevant local authority team, and then request that Riverside is consulted where appropriate.

For planning, parents can use FindMySchool’s map tools to understand travel time from home to the Stechford site and to sense-check what a daily routine would feel like, especially for students whose attendance and punctuality have previously been fragile.

Wellbeing is not treated as separate from learning, it is built into the programme design. Riverside describes a dedicated mental health first aid team intended to support students with strategies for managing triggers, holding structured conversations, and developing practical approaches for challenging situations.

The work-based learning programme also explicitly links outdoor and animal-based activity to emotional wellbeing and social development, positioned as a way to reduce barriers linked to trauma and anxiety, while building routine, responsibility, and confidence.

This aligns with external evaluation, which highlights students feeling safe and supported, calm behaviour, and staff who understand individual needs and adapt learning accordingly. From a parent perspective, the most important safeguarding reassurance is that the inspection confirmed safeguarding as effective.

In alternative provision, “extracurricular” often blends into the core programme. Riverside’s distinctive enrichment is farm and animal-based learning that is designed to be therapeutic and employability-focused, not simply recreational. Students on the work-based learning route can access qualifications in areas such as Animal Care, Equine, and Horticulture, alongside employability and life skills pathways.

The farm offer is presented as a working, therapeutic setting with a range of animals and agricultural activities, framed as part of a structured programme supporting mental wellbeing and engagement. This is a practical example of the school’s model: a student who struggles with classroom attendance may find a stable routine through animal care tasks and outdoor responsibilities, which then becomes the foundation for re-establishing academic study.

Riverside also references a Rights Respecting Schools Award pathway, including a UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Award Bronze status, linking citizenship and rights education to wider school culture. An activities calendar published by the school also indicates a structured annual rhythm that includes events such as World Book Day, World Autism Awareness Day, functional skills exam periods, and end-of-year activities including prom and sports day.

Riverside Education is an independent school, but it does not operate like a conventional fee-paying day school for parents. The school’s published charging and remissions policy for 2025/26 states that parents are not directly charged fees, and that funding is drawn from local authorities and surrounding schools; it also states that fees vary by need, with a stated range from £4,000 to £65,000 per year, depending on the needs of the young person.

For families, the implication is straightforward. If a placement is being considered, funding discussions will typically sit with the commissioning body (local authority or current school) and, where relevant, the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) process. It is still important for parents to understand what is included in the commissioned package, for example, therapy input, 1:1 support, transport, or off-site tutoring, and what costs, if any, remain the family’s responsibility.

Published term-time information indicates the school operates 38 weeks per year. School hours are listed as 9:00am to 2:45pm Monday to Thursday, and 9:00am to 1:00pm on Friday, with morning drop-off from 8:45am.

Because admissions are via referral and timetables can be personalised, families should expect variations, particularly for post-16 students who may attend a minimum number of hours per week with a timetable constructed around study needs.

For transport, the Stechford location can suit families who need access from Birmingham and surrounding areas, but the bigger issue is routine stability. If travel time is long, it can undermine attendance recovery. It is worth testing the commute at the times your child would actually travel.

• Admissions are not parent-led. Riverside does not accept direct applications from parents or self-referrals; placements come via local authority or school referral routes. This can be reassuring in terms of suitability checks, but it also means the pathway into a place is procedural and can take time.

• Headline GCSE measures may look weak. FindMySchool’s GCSE ranking places the school in the lower end of the England distribution, and EBacc-related measures recorded here are low. For many students, that may be less relevant than re-engagement and alternative qualifications, but families should still ask how academic targets are set and tracked for comparable learners.

• Destinations data needs explaining. The available cohort destinations figures show 0% recorded progression across the main categories for a small cohort. Parents should request the school’s own destination tracking narrative and examples of typical next steps for similar students.

• This is a specialist setting, not a mainstream substitute. Riverside’s best fit is for students who need an alternative model, including therapeutic and work-based learning elements, and a highly personalised pathway back into education.

Riverside Education suits students aged 14 to 19 who need a structured alternative provision route, often alongside SEND and mental health needs, and who benefit from practical learning that connects education to employability and wellbeing. The inspection judgement provides strong external reassurance about quality and safeguarding. Admission is the main barrier, because placements depend on referral pathways and suitability decisions rather than open enrolment. For families who secure a place through the appropriate route, the model can offer the stability, relationships, and re-engagement that many students need to restart progress.