Riverside Primary Academy

About Riverside Primary Academy

Riverside Primary Academy is a state-funded, mixed primary school in Gateshead, serving children from age 3 to 11 under headteacher Ailsa Taylor. In the local authority's primary school rankings, it sits 18th out of 61 schools, placing it comfortably within the top 25% of its tier. The three highest-ranked peers in the area are St Mary & St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School in Blaydon, Clover Hill Community Primary School, and St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School in Dunston, each scoring higher on the same metric. The nearest school rated Outstanding by Ofsted is Brighton Avenue Primary School, about 1.9 km away. Riverside itself was rated Good in its most recent graded inspection in December 2023, a step down from its previous Outstanding rating in 2013. However, inspectors noted that behaviour and attitudes remain Outstanding, while leadership and management, quality of education, early years provision, and personal development are all rated Good.

Academically, Riverside performs above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 73% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined, compared with the Gateshead average of 64%. The school's score of 73 on this metric places it in the top 25% nationally. Reading and writing both saw 85% of pupils meeting the expected standard, while maths was slightly lower at 78%. At the higher standard, 12% of pupils achieved the top marks across all three subjects. Average scaled scores were 108 in reading and 107 in maths, both above the national benchmark of 100. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is not possible to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils' starting points. The school has no sixth form, and its nursery provision means children can join from age three.

The school is oversubscribed: for 2025/26, it received 68 applications for 37 places, with 37 first-preference offers made, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.84. Facilities include a sensory room, art studios, a library, playing fields, a sports hall, and a chapel. Sports offered range from rounders and tennis to netball and football, and clubs include chess, choir, drama, gardening, and science club. Riverside provides for a wide range of SEND needs, including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing impairment, and autistic spectrum disorder. With 28.3% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a relatively disadvantaged catchment. It will suit families who value strong behaviour standards, a broad extracurricular offer, and a school that performs above the local average academically.

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