Riverside School, Barking Review 2026: From a Brownfield Site to Outstanding Education

Riverside Campus sits on what was once the Barking Power Station site, a sprawling brownfield expanse beside the Thames. When the school opened in September 2013 with just 60 Year 7 students crammed into a temporary location on Thames Road, few could have predicted its trajectory. By September 2017, the school had relocated to a purpose-built £44 million campus designed as the UK's largest free school, a gleaming five-storey structure spanning 23,000 square metres. Today, with over 1,200 students on roll, Riverside School ranks 635th in England for GCSE performance (FindMySchool ranking), placing it in the top 25% of schools nationally. The Ofsted inspection in October 2022 awarded the school Outstanding across all areas, including a dedicated Outstanding rating for sixth form provision. The school's motto, "Excellence for All", is not aspirational rhetoric here but a lived principle embedded in how this diverse, rapidly growing institution operates in one of London's most transformed communities.

Step into Riverside and you encounter a school built for scale yet designed to feel human. The five-storey campus houses Riverside Secondary (11-18), Riverside Primary (4-11), and Riverside Bridge School (a SEN provision), all connected by corridors, bridges, and shared spaces, yet maintaining distinct identities. Mr Andrew Roberts, who has led Riverside Secondary since October 2016, describes the school's philosophy simply: "Learning is at the heart of everything we do." This is not mere slogan-speak. Ofsted inspectors noted that students work hard and achieve well, with very clearly established routines ensuring pupils are engaged in learning and that work is of consistently high quality. Standards of behaviour are very high, and lessons are not disrupted by poor behaviour.

The school's ethos genuinely celebrates diversity. In a borough where 93% of pupils are from ethnic minority backgrounds and English is not the first language for a significant proportion, the school has woven cultural celebration into the fabric of school life. A Culture Week runs annually, featuring inter-form competitions, dance workshops, and a Culture Day where students wear traditional dress. This is not tokenistic; it reflects the lived reality of the community it serves.

Pastoral care is structured around form groups, with each student assigned to a tutor who gets to know them well. Teachers describe a close-knit team despite the school's size. The 2023-24 leaver destinations data shows 72% of sixth formers progressed to university, with 6% entering apprenticeships and 4% moving into employment. Perhaps most telling is what students themselves say: one recent comment noted the school as "very friendly with lots of teachers and students who support students very well and have pots of facilities and clubs."

GCSE Performance

Riverside's GCSE results place it confidently above England averages. The school achieved an Attainment 8 score of 54.4, which compares well to the England average of 45.9. The Progress 8 score of +0.78 indicates that students make well-above-average progress from their starting points, a crucial metric in a school serving a community with higher levels of disadvantage.

The English Baccalaureate is entered by 48% of students, with an average EBacc score of 5.29, comfortably above the England average of 4.08. This broad curriculum approach means students study English, mathematics, sciences, a language, and either history or geography. The school's emphasis on language learning begins in Year 7 with Spanish, and the China trip offered to Year 10 Mandarin students exemplifies this commitment.

At the local level, Riverside ranks 1st among Barking and Dagenham secondary schools for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking). This is the school's strongest position, reflecting not exceptional advantage but consistent drive to raise attainment across an intake with diverse needs.

A-Level and Sixth Form Performance

The sixth form, which opened in 2017, has shown notable progress in A-level results. Students achieve 54% of grades at A*-B, with just under 24% achieving A grades and 2% at A*. These figures represent solid performance, placing the school in line with the middle 35% to 40% of England's sixth forms nationally (FindMySchool data). While not elite, the trend is upward.

In 2024, one student secured an Oxbridge place, with a further five applications under consideration, reflecting the school's growing academic ambition at post-16. The sixth form now offers an extensive range of A-Level subjects and works with partner sixth forms (Sydney Russell, Jo Richardson, Eastbury, and Dagenham Park) to provide broader subject choice, with free transport available.

The school operates an innovative timetable: 25 x 60-minute taught lessons per week plus a 20-minute assembly, structured in a single-week rotation rather than the traditional two-week timetable. This allows for deeper engagement with each subject and more flexible scheduling for trips and enrichment activities.

Teaching quality is a stated strength. Ofsted found that teachers have very strong subject knowledge, supplemented by a continual training programme. The school's curriculum is independent from the national curriculum at secondary level, allowing for customisation whilst maintaining rigour. PSHE and citizenship are delivered through a dedicated Civics curriculum (one lesson weekly for Years 7-10), embedding values explicitly. For Year 11 students opting for triple science, provision is enhanced to six hours weekly, with two discrete hours each in chemistry, physics, and biology.

Students are placed into one of five form brackets (R, I, V, E, S) based on their Key Stage 2 performance, measured by SATs scores. This allows for differentiated curriculum pacing while avoiding crude streaming. Subject specialists run departments across English, mathematics, science (as separate physics, chemistry, biology), history, geography, modern languages, computing, art, food technology, drama, and music.

Wellbeing infrastructure extends beyond the standard. The school employs dedicated staff responsible for mentoring and care of students through the tutor group system and one-to-one guidance. A trained counsellor is available for students needing additional emotional support. Anti-Bullying Ambassadors, trained and visible, work proactively to foster a culture of respect. Following the Ben Kinsella Trust's work on knife crime awareness, Year 7 students visit the Trust's workshops, and Year 10 Drama students have delivered performances about gangs and violence.

The school participates in wider community initiatives. Community garden projects offer outdoor learning and service. Parent involvement is actively encouraged, with letters home structured to keep families informed of progress and challenges. The 16-19 bursary scheme provides financial support for eligible sixth form students.

The extracurricular offer at Riverside is genuinely extensive, reflecting the school's commitment to the whole student. From the fetched website content and Instagram feed, evidence shows multiple named clubs operating at scale:

Music

Music programming is a notable strength. The school operates Riverside Voices (Tuesday), Riverside Orchestra (Friday), and Riverside Band (Thursday after school, led by Marcelo). A choir performs regularly, including annual Christmas performances. Year 7 students recently performed "This Old Hammer" in assembly, and the school has partnered with professional musicians for collaborative projects. A "Breathe Free" cross-curricular project involved Year 7 students composing an original song, with orchestration by Year 10 musicians, supported by professional musicians including composer Jessie Maryon Davies, trumpet player Lettie Leyland, and drummer Shakira Malkani.

Drama

Drama is active and ambitious. The school produces an annual school musical (recent productions have drawn praise for commitment and quality from the entire cast and technical teams). Individual students have been selected for the prestigious National Youth Theatre, with three sixth formers recently securing places. Year 10 Drama students have created original performances addressing social issues such as knife crime and gang violence.

Debate and Public Speaking

Debate Mate Club runs regularly with Y7, Y8, and Y10 participants. A recent trip to the University of Greenwich saw Riverside students win three debate competitions in front of 350 competitors. The Jack Petchey Oracy Workshop provides Year 7 students with intensive communication training. A Model United Nations club takes part in conferences, with five students winning individual awards and the school receiving a special "Kindness and Diplomacy" award in 2024.

STEM and Computing

Science Club has visited the Royal Society Science Exhibition, exploring research from leading UK universities including work on phages, plastic pollution, and vibrational communication. Students have designed solutions, handled museum objects, and engaged with cutting-edge research. Maths enrichment includes the AMSP Maths Feast competition. Year 8 students explored renewable energy at the CEME Innovation Centre, designing and building windmills to test power generation. A Law Society meets regularly and has hosted the Mayor of Barking and Dagenham for Q&A sessions.

Sports

The 2017 campus includes a four-court sports hall, four multi-use games areas, and an all-weather Astroturf pitch. The sixth form has a dedicated Basketball Academy, featuring prominently in recruitment. Annual Sports Day competitions see students competing fiercely, with House Captains organizing events. The school's annual All Star Team showdown showcases elite athletes across multiple sports. Mini London Marathon participants from Riverside have completed the full race distance. The PE department runs trips, including visits to professional fixtures.

Literacy and Arts

Young City Poets project involves Year 8 students in visits to the Museum of London Docklands, handling real museum objects for poetry inspiration, followed by workshops with professional poets. A "Young Readers" club takes trips to Foyles bookshop for collaborative book selection. Recently published student authors include Tazrian Zinnat and Jessica Hedges, whose stories were included in the anthology "Unfinished Business," with celebration events at Eastbury Manor House. Fashion Reworked Club meets Thursdays in textiles, exploring cutting, sewing, and printing for sustainability and creative confidence.

Community and Leadership

Anti-Bullying Ambassadors participated in Amnesty International poetry sessions organised by the Empathy Week project. Student leadership is structured through a dedicated Student Support Leadership Team (SSLT) with approximately 150 sixth formers in formal leadership roles. Riverside Student Leadership twilight events bring these leaders together for training and celebration.

The breadth and depth of this provision is remarkable for a state secondary school. With at least 15-18 named clubs operating regularly, the school clearly prioritizes extracurricular engagement. The quality is evidenced not just in variety but in impact: Oxbridge progressions, National Youth Theatre selections, winning debate performances, and published student authors suggest that clubs are substantive, not superficial.

For sixth formers, university progression is strong. In 2024, 72% of leavers went to university, with 6% entering apprenticeships and 4% moving into employment. The school reports that students progress to Russell Group universities, though the proportion is not formally published. One student secured an Oxbridge place in 2024. Sixth formers have progressed to universities including those known for strong subject programs, though specific destination data is limited in public sources.

For GCSE leavers (Year 11), the vast majority progress to the school's own sixth form or to partner sixth forms. The lack of published external secondary destination data reflects the school's position as a through-school with strong internal progression.

Riverside operates a non-selective admissions policy. Year 7 entry is through the standard local authority coordinated admissions process. The school was oversubscribed at primary entry (273 offers from 526 applications, oversubscribed 1.93x) in recent years, though secondary-level subscription data is not published.

Sixth form entry is selective based on GCSE attainment. The school publishes A-level entry requirements by subject. Sixth form applications are made through the school's own portal (riversideschool.applicaa.com/sixthform). The Basketball Academy offers a specialist pathway for post-16 students with elite aspirations in that sport.

No entrance tests are required at secondary entry. Priority is given to looked-after children and those with EHCPs naming the school, followed by admissions by distance from the school gates. Families seeking secondary entry should verify current oversubscription data with Barking and Dagenham local authority.

School day timings: 8:50am to 3:20pm. The campus is accessed via Renwick Road, Barking, IG11 0FU. A breakfast club operates from 7:45am for younger students. Transport links include the East London Overground (Gospel Oak to Barking line), with Barking Riverside station opened in July 2022, providing direct access to the development.

The school operates a single-week timetable, meaning parents should check the school calendar for term dates, which may differ from some other schools' traditional two-week timetables. Uniform is compulsory: secondary students wear a maroon blazer with school logo and grey polo shirt. The school meals service is included, with ParentPay used for online payment and account management.

Rapid growth and scale. The school has expanded from 60 to over 1,200 students in a decade. Whilst leadership has managed this carefully, some parents report that the sheer size can feel overwhelming. Teachers and support staff are described as "dedicated and proud," but the ratio of pupils to staff (13.7:1) means individual attention is limited compared to smaller schools.

Location and transport. Barking Riverside is a developing area, not yet fully built out. The new Overground station has improved connectivity, but journey times from parts of outer London can be significant. Families from east London and Essex will find this more accessible than those from central or west London.

Diversity as strength and ongoing work. The school celebrates its 93% ethnic minority cohort and 26% EAL learners, but integration, language support, and ensuring all families feel genuinely heard remain ongoing challenges in any school serving such diversity.

Sixth form selectivity and destinations. Whilst sixth form results are solid, they sit in the middle of the range nationally, not the top tier. Families with Oxbridge or Russell Group aspirations should carefully review the latest published data on progression rates. The school is improving, but is not yet at the level of highly selective sixth forms.

Riverside School is a genuinely impressive achievement: a purpose-built campus, founded just over a decade ago, now rated Outstanding by Ofsted and serving one of London's most diverse and rapidly developing communities with consistently strong results and an ambitious, broad extracurricular programme. The school's success is not built on selection or catchment privilege, but on clear leadership, high expectations, and deliberate investment in infrastructure and staff training. For families in the Barking Riverside area seeking a mixed, non-selective secondary school with genuine academic ambition, expanding sixth form provision, and a vibrant cultural life, this is an excellent choice. The challenge is managing rapid growth and ensuring that scale does not dilute the personal care the school clearly values. Best suited to families wanting academic rigour balanced with genuine diversity, strong behaviour standards, and genuine investment in the whole student.