Harris Academy Riverside

About Harris Academy Riverside

Harris Academy Riverside sits in the Thurrock local authority, where it ranks fifth out of ten secondary schools by Progress 8 — a solid mid-table position in a mixed local landscape. The top three peers in the area are Harris Academy Chafford Hundred, Grays Convent High School, and Mossbourne Port Side Academy, all of which post stronger Progress 8 scores. Still, Riverside is the only school in Thurrock’s top five that is not a faith school or an academy converter, which gives it a distinctive place in the local market. It is a large, non-denominational state secondary with a sixth form, led by headteacher Rachel Sofianos, and it serves 1,117 pupils — just shy of its 1,150 capacity. The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, it received 416 applications for 178 places, with 121 first-preference offers made from 147 first-preference applications, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.34. That level of demand suggests it is a popular choice among Thurrock families.

Academically, Harris Academy Riverside performs above the local average. Its Progress 8 score of 0.23 is well ahead of the Thurrock LA average of 0.14, and the school’s overall Progress 8 banding is rated ‘Above average’. In English, pupils make particularly strong progress (0.43), while maths progress is flat (0.01). Attainment 8 sits at 49.6, and 71.2% of pupils achieve a grade 4 or above in English and maths — the basics measure. The EBacc entry rate is 56.5%, with 39.1% achieving a grade 4 or above across the EBacc subjects. At A-level, the school’s value-added score is 0.03, classed as ‘Average’, and the average points per entry is 35.68, equivalent to a B- grade. Ofsted visited in February 2022 and rated the school Good overall, with Outstanding marks for personal development and behaviour and attitudes. Leadership, quality of education, and sixth-form provision were all rated Good.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a theatre, library, science labs, tennis courts, and a sixth-form centre, plus an Astro Turf and playing fields. Sports on offer include rowing, martial arts, athletics, basketball, dance, and rounders, while clubs range from Debate and Chess to Young Enterprise, Model UN, and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. SEND provision is comprehensive, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language issues, hearing and multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. With a 28% pupil premium rate, the school serves a relatively disadvantaged intake but still delivers above-average progress. It suits families who want a large, oversubscribed non-faith secondary with strong behaviour standards and a sixth form, particularly those in the Purfleet or south Thurrock area — though the nearest Outstanding-rated school, Harris Academy Chafford Hundred, is only 3.7 km away.

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